


Goners

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Body Horror, F/F, Violence, fire (as in people are burned and it kinda sucks), the mabifica is a lot later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-04 18:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 37
Words: 42,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4148058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Pines twins get in a near-fatal accident, their great uncle makes a deal with Bill Cipher to save them. Dipper and Mabel find themselves in a situation involving demons and the fates of both the town and themselves.</p><p>An AU in which the twins never show their uncle the third journal in "Gideon Rises."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 1 - How He Saved Their Lives

Dipper Pines shifted uncomfortably on the narrow, lumpy mattress. His forehead was damp with sweat from accidentally falling asleep under a thick patchwork quilt and once he'd woken up, he knew he would stay that way for a while. It was another hot summer night in July and for some reason, he'd been having issues with sleeping. He twisted over onto his back, lying on top of the warm sheets. Dipper considered reaching for his laptop, which was sitting at his desk on the far end of the room, but he decided against it.

What was keeping him up? It wasn't anxiety or fear, really, which was often the case. And it wasn't because he wasn't tired- Dipper was exhausted. He just simply couldn't sleep. Letting out an annoyed huff, he turned one of his pillows over onto the other side, feeling about a minute of cool relief. He opened his eyes for a moment before shutting them again. Dipper tried facing the wall, he tried lying on his stomach with a leg and an arm dangling off of the edge, he tried resting flat on his back, but nothing helped. He realized he wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon and sat up.

Slowly, he crawled out of bed, his feet slipping onto the creaky floor. Dipper padded over to the desk and carefully unplugged the laptop. He was gentle as he tucked it under his arm and turned back towards his bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of light. He froze.

On the wall, shadows of the tree branches outside his window danced along the walls. There was a pool of light that shined onto the floor. It looked almost like an eye. The wide, oval shape sat there for just a few seconds before making a blinking motion and fading away. Dipper squinted at the spot where it had just been. Either he was seriously sleep deprived at this point, or something odd was going on.

Dipper crossed back over to his bed and eased himself down onto the edge. He stared at the same area where the eye had just been. Trying to shake the uneasiness away, Dipper opened his laptop and curled back up in his bed. With the glow of the moonlight and the bright light of his laptop screen, the room was fairly bright. He reached over and clicked on the browser. Dipper ended up falling asleep to an episode of _Ghost Harassers_ an hour later.


	2. Chapter 2

Mabel rapped her knuckles against the door twice before calling out her twin's name.

"Dip, you up or what?" It was almost one in the afternoon, and he hadn't come downstairs to get food or even say hello. She heard a sleepy groan and the sound of something crashing to the floor, followed by a "Shit!" and a "Hang on!" She backed away from the door as Dipper tugged it open.

Behind him, Mabel could see that his laptop had crashed to the floor when he'd gotten up. There were dark circles around her brother's eyes, his hair looked like a bird's nest, and judging by the fact he hadn't changed clothes in at least two days, he probably hadn't been sleeping well.

"Yeah?" He mumbled groggily as he stretched. Mabel twisted her lips into a frown. "Everything okay? It's almost one," she replied, a bit worried.

Dipper's eyes widened. "Is it really?"

She nodded slightly. "I was going to ask if you wanted to help me with the grocery shopping." Mabel crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe.

"Sure," Dipper said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Let me get ready, I guess." He turned away from his sister.

"Oh, Dipper?" She called out.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"If you want to ride in the same car as me, you're going to have to take a shower." Mabel teased. Dipper stuck his tongue out at her as she walked away, laughing.

* * *

 

Dipper sleepily stared ahead at the road. His eyelids felt heavy, a sign that he was still tired. He ended up being the one driving the rust-orange truck they practically shared. For the first time in a few days, he was actually leaving the house. Dipper had showered, changed clothes, and had made an attempt to comb his mess of hair. He looked over at Mabel, who was humming along to a pop song on the radio and texting away on her phone.

 

He let out a loud yawn and leaned back a bit in the seat. Dipper was starting to have to fight hard just to stay awake.

"What time did you go to sleep last night?" Mabel asked him, glancing up from the conversation she was having.

"Almost 12," he admitted. That technically wasn't a lie, but Dipper had woken back up at 2 and didn't get back to sleep until just after 7. Mabel shook her head.

"You've gotta start heading to bed earlier," she scolded, wagging her finger at him.

"I'm fine, Mabel. It's summer, anyways. It's not gonna kill me if I dont have a 'normal' sleeping schedule," he bit.

"You've got just over a month before you go back to school," she told him after looking back down at her phone. The twins would be going to different colleges. It would be their first time spending such a long time away from each other. Mabel would be going to art school in New York. Dipper would be staying on the west coast.

"I know," he answered quietly.

****Mabel had gone quiet. She didn't want to think about moving so far away from her family yet. Sure, it would be fun, she was going to college, for Pete's sake! She would be an adult, ready to take on new challenges. Still, the idea of moving away from Piedmont and Gravity Falls bothered her. She chewed on her lip nervously.

Dipper leaned his head closer to the window. He yawned again. The road was long, straight, and practically empty if you weren't counting them. It wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for a moment, right? He didn't open them again until he heard his sister cry out.

"Dipper, look out!"

 


	3. Chapter 3

Her eyes opened quickly as she awoke. Mabel looked around the room, confused as to where she was. She struggled as she tried to remember what happened. After glimpsing over her surroundings, she guessed she was in a hospital room. Why, though? She felt fine. Maybe a little sore, but nothing too unusual. Mabel shifted in the bed she was lying in and propped herself up on her elbows as a figure came out of the bathroom door near her bed.

 

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel smiled as she tried to sit up better. He grinned back, but didn't say anything to her. Every summer since the twins were 12 years old, they had come up to Oregon to stay with their great uncle. She had many fond memories of Stan, and trusted him well. He would explain what had happened. Mabel opened her mouth to speak, but paused. Something didn't seem right about her uncle.

 

He was staring in a mirror hanging on the far wall, tugging at his own cheeks and ears. "Grunkle Stan?" Mabel repeated, her voice softer this time. He didn't seem to notice. She slowly climbed out of the bed. Looking down, she noticed she was wearing a pink hospital gown. What had happened to her overalls and t-shirt that read "BITCH, PEAS" with a picture of a pea pod on it? Mabel approached Stan with caution.

 

"Grunkle Stan?" She whispered as he spun around to face her. He showed her another toothy grin.

 

"Shooting Star!" Stan exclaimed.

 

That was definitely not her uncle. Or maybe it was, and he had just had a _lot_ of Smile Dip. "Uh..." Mabel backed away, glimpsing over at the other door, just in case she needed to make a run for it. "What's going on? Where's Dipper?" She asked, her voice wobbling nervously.

 

"Something wrong?" Stan removed his glasses and tucked them in the pocket of his jacket.

 

Mabel nodded. "I'm- Why are we in a hospital-"

 

_"Dipper, look out!"_

 

She remembered now.

 

Mabel had looked up just in time to notice they'd swerved onto the other side of the road. A  large semi-trailer truck was headed straight for them. There was a collision.

"Where's Dipper?" She asked again, feeling a lump in her throat. He was okay, right? Stan let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and slapped her shoulder.

"Pine Tree's in the next room over," he told her. _Pine Tree?_ Mabel thought. She needed to see her brother right away. She could worry about Stan after that.

 

The girl rushed past her uncle and out into the hall. She was quiet as she gripped the door handle of the room to the left of hers. Mabel pushed the door open and held her breath. Hopefully, it was Dipper's room and not some stranger's.

 

Dipper was unconscious, tucked under the blankets in his own bed. Mabel let out a relieved sigh. So he _was_ okay. Mabel looked over her shoulder in time to see Stan step into the room next to her.

"Grunkle Stan, I-"

 "Would you stop calling me that?" He huffed as he sat down in an armchair by the bed.

"What are you-" Mabel raised a brow in confusion.

"I'm not your great uncle," Stan muttered, rolling his eyes. "Or even Stan, for that matter!" He paused a minute before chuckling. "You should see your face right now, Shooting Star," he snickered. "But anyways, yeah," Stan said, his laughter dying down. "Your uncle and I made a deal."

 "A deal?" Mabel bit her lip.

"See, poor Macka- Stan. Stan was so heartbroken that his niece and nephew were about to face the ol' grim reaper," he explained, leaning forward. "So naturally, I made an offer. Bring you two kids back to full healthy in exchange for his body- I was looking for a new vessel," he grinned.

"What?!" Mabel exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Look, I know it's not really a fair trade- this dump of a body really isn't worth the lives of you two, plus it smells kind of funny, but-"

"No, not that!" Mabel snapped. "You're-" She was cut off by who she _thought_ was Grunkle Stan.

"Bill Cipher," he answered, propping his feet up on a side table. 

 

* * *

 

He let out a quiet noise as he opened his eyes. Where was he? Dipper knew he wasn't in his bedroom. It looked like a hospital room. He was careful and nearly silent as he sat upright in bed. Near the door, Mabel was standing next to their uncle. She didn't say anything. Is everything alright? Dipper thought.

Just as he was about to say something to them, Mabel rushed forward and landed a hard hit on Stan's face.

"Mabel, what's wrong with you-" Dipper found himself shouting as Stan stumbled backwards. He howled with what at first seemed like pain, but then turned to laughter. Stan blinked one eye, then the other, and dabbed a finger at his lip. His nose was bleeding, thanks to Mabel and the boxing lessons he'd given her the summers before.

"Where's Grunkle Stan?" Mabel demanded, her tone sharp and angry.

"Not here," he said, still laughing.

"Mabel, what's going on?" Dipper asked quietly as he slipped his legs over the edge of his bed. Both Mabel and Stan turned their heads towards Dipper. His eyes widened. That was _definitely_ not their great uncle.

Stan's eyes were almost yellow and his pupils were now narrow, dark slits. It wasn't exactly easy to notice at first, but once he did, it became clear that something had happened to him. "Grunkle Stan made a deal," Mabel croaked.

"A deal?" Dipper mumbled as he stood.

"Do you remember what happened?" She asked him.

Dipper thought about it for a moment. "I- Not really?" He looked between his sister and not-Stan.

"There was a wreck," Mabel whispered.

"You two were like, nearly dead," not-Stan explained. "So your uncle agreed to make a deal with me," he said, seeming proud. "I would return you two back to full health in exchange for one body. So no, I'm not your uncle," he chuckled.

"Bill, give Stan his body back-" Dipper started, but was interrupted.

"No-can-do, Pine Tree. We made a deal, and I can't go back on it," he replied loudly. Bill laughed as he plopped down into the chair beside Dipper's bed.

"So that's it? Stan is pretty much gone forever?" Mabel squeaked. Bill nodded.

"This vessel is mine now," he beamed.

Mabel shot her brother a worried look. Dipper glimpsed back at Bill.

"Also, I would try to stay calm if I were you," Bill muttered as he reclined back in a chair.

"Stay calm? How could you possibly tell us to stay calm at a time like this?!" Mabel shouted, her hands balled into fists.

"Uh, Mabel?" Dipper whispered. She swung her head around to look at him.

"What?" Mabel hissed as Dipper pointed to her hand. She glimpsed down and stifled a yelp. Her pale hands were engulfed with blue flames. "How do I make it stop?" Mabel shouted as she waved her flaming hand in the air.

Bill snorted with laughter, leaning back in the chair. "She's a-" he said in between snickers.

"She's a what?" Dipper snapped as he frantically tried to search for something to put out the fire out.

"She's got demon powers now!" Bill exclaimed.

Mabel tried blowing out the flames as she paced the room, panicking. Dipper gripped her arm and dragged her over to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on before shoving her hand under the cool water. Mabel let out a relieved sigh.

Dipper crossed out into the main room and shot Bill a sharp glare.

"She doesn't know how to control her powers yet," Bill explained as he folded his arms behind his head. "She gets too worked up over something, that happens." He shrugged and closed his eyes. "Oh, by the way, Pine Tree, same thing happens to you."

"Why?" Mabel asked as she examined her hand. It looked just as it had before. No burn marks, no nothing.

"Both of you got messed up pretty bad. There wasn't really any hope, and then only way I could fulfill my end of the deal was by giving you demon powers," he answered. Dipper opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, realizing he didn't really have much to say. "By the way, we're getting out of here soon.  I don't know how we're gonna explain a miraculous recovery to the doctors," Bill mumbled, opening an eye. "There's extra clothes in a suitcase over there that Stan brought in case something good happened."

After exchanging nervous looks, the twins unzipped a red bag and pulled out their own belongings. Mabel left to her own room and managed to change out of the hospital gown. She left it sitting on her bed, crumpled up in a small heap. Worriedly, Mabel tugged on the skirt she was wearing. Demon powers. She would ask more about it on the ride home.  

When Mabel returned back to Dipper's room, she saw that Sta- _Bill_ and her brother were ready to leave and waiting for her.  "They moved the both of you to a hospital in Portland," Bill mentioned as he rose to his feet. Mabel rocked back and forth on her toes and nodded a little. "We've gotta go before your nurses come back to check on ya," he grumbled as he lead the way out the door. Dipper and Mabel both followed Bill without saying a word.

Somehow, Bill managed to navigate the hallways and avoid anyone who would recognize the two teenagers that trailed behind him. When they were over in the parking garage, Mabel offered to drive home. With Bill riding in the back seat and Dipper by her side, Mabel backed out of her parking spot.

Despite all of the questions she had for the demon behind her, she kept quiet most of the way back. She didn't really want to talk to Bill. Mabel was trying to stay positive about it all (they could have died in that accident for all she knew), yet it was hard. To her, Grunkle Stan was practically dead. Gone forever. She was surprised at how patient and calm she had been about this. It was highly likely she would never see one of her favorite people ever again. Maybe it was because she was tired. She was tired, frustrated, and confused.

  
As Mabel pulled up to the Mystery Shack, she felt tears pricking at her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Mabel lifted her head from her pillow after hearing a knock at her bedroom door.

"Yeah?" She sniffled as she wiped her nose with the sleeve of her cardigan.

"Could I come in?" Dipper called through the door.

"Yeah," Mabel answered again as she sat up. Waddles, her pet pig, was curled up on the edge of her bed. Her brother awkwardly stepped into the room and flashed her a sad smile. He hadn't taken it well either, but knew how rough everything had been on Mabel. Dipper eased himself down onto a plump beanbag chair by her bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly.

Mabel shrugged and pulled the blanket closer to her chest.

"I don't know, Dip," she murmured, rubbing her eyes. Dipper noticed that a few holes had been scorched into the sheets. He didn't mention it, but he had also had a bit of a problem with his new abilities earlier, when he'd walked into the bathroom to take a shower. Dipper was so angry at both his uncle and Bill that, without realizing it, had lit his whole left arm aflame and burned both the towel he had been holding and his favorite hoodie. He looked up at Mabel.

"Grunkle Stan might as well be dead," she mumbled as she pulled the blanket over her head.

"Mabel, that's not true," Dipper insisted.

"He's gone in that place where Bill usually is. Stan's basically a ghost," Mabel squeaked as she poked her head out at him.

"But we're going to talk to Bill, get this all sorted out," he told her. "We'll get Stan back," Dipper nodded. He reached over and scratched the top of Waddles' head.

"I guess," Mabel sighed after wrapping her arms around her pig.

"I think we should try talking to Bill," Dipper suggested. "Would you be okay with that?" He asked her. After a quiet moment, Mabel nodded. She climbed out of bed. Waddles trotted after the two, following them out of the attic and down the steps.

* * *

 

Dipper sat at the table in the living room, next to Mabel and across from Bill. He studied the demon closely. Aside from the eyes, he still looked like Stan. Dried blood was crusted around his nose. No one spoke. Mabel picked at the skin around her pinky nail, her head kept down. Dipper let out a quiet sigh.

"You said you wanted to talk," Bill grumbled. "So talk," he said, eying the twins as he rocked his chair back. Mabel stared at her lap.

"So we're demons now," she said without looking up.

Bill scoffed. "You're wannabes at best, honestly. The powers are just a mere side effect," he chuckled.

"So what does that mean?" Dipper huffed as he rested his chin in his hand. Bill, in response, rolled his eyes, as if everything was extremely obvious and Dipper was just too stupid to realize what had happened.

Bill crossed his arms. "It means you two can set things on fire. And change what your form looks like. There's other junk to it- more complicated stuff, but that's basically it," he shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." In one swift motion, he picked himself up and headed towards the hallway.

"Wait!" Mabel called after him. Bill paused.

"Yes, Shooting Star?"

"Will we ever get to see Stan again?" She asked him. Bill didn't answer her. Instead, he trudged out of the room. Mabel sunk lower in her seat and mumbled irritably.

Dipper set his hand on her shoulder and shot her a sympathetic look. She turned her head and looked up at him. "How are we going to get Stan back?" Mabel asked. Dipper assumed that their uncle was trapped in the dimension was from, or at least, could enter. He was basically a ghost. Bill was the only one who would be able to hear or see him.

"I hope he's okay," Mabel mumbled.

"I'm sure he is," Dipper sighed.

  
Mabel chewed on her lip, her heart feeling heavy. She was overwhelmed. The girl still had so many questions, and most were unanswered. How long ago was the accident? Did their parents know? How would they explain their recovery to the ones close to them? What was Bill going to do, now that he had a human body of his own? She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "I'm going back upstairs," she mumbled as she slipped away from the table. Dipper sat alone in the silence.


	5. Chapter 5

There weren't many groceries left in the shack, considering Dipper and Mabel hadn't gotten a chance to go shopping like they'd planned to. He rummaged through the cabinets and managed to find a box of pancake mix. After preparing a simple dinner, he left a plate for Mabel by her bedroom door. He decided to look for Bill and try to get some answers to their questions.

He spent about fifteen minutes searching for the guy before finding him in Stan's office. Bill was lounged back in a chair, his feet propped up on a desk. A large portrait of Stan stared down at them. Dipper was slow as he approached him.

"Yes, Pine Tree?" Stan muttered, eyes closed. Dipper stood awkwardly, trying to think of what to say.

"So, uh, Bill... I have some questions for you," he stammered. Bill peeked an eye open and looked at him.

"Spit it out, kid," he grumbled.

 

"Where's Stan at?" Dipper asked.

 

"Right behind you," Bill nodded. "Right by that potted plant." He watched Dipper turn around and face the rubber fern.

"G-grunkle Stan?" He murmured, causing Bill to laugh.

"He's not there, you're talking to the plant!" Bill shouted, his face red. Dipper shot him a sour look and slammed his hands down on the desk.

Bill's laughter died down. "Okay. Fine. You wanna know where your uncle is? Last I checked, he was with Shooting Star. 'Said something about making sure she was okay," he grouched.

Dipper nodded. "How long ago did he make this deal?" He lifted his hands off the smooth surface of the desk.

"This morning. Shooting Star was about to go into some sort of surgery, I think. The accident was three days ago," Bill answered as he tipped the chair backwards.

"What do you even want with Stan?" Dipper asked bitterly.

Bill hesitated to reply. "Why, I want to run off to Vegas, of course!" He answered through a wide grin. "I'll be out of your hair in a week or so."

Dipper didn't exactly believe Bill, but figured that was the best answer he was going to get out of him all night, so he left the office and slammed the door shut behind him. If Stan was with Mabel earlier, there was a good chance he was still there.

As Dipper turned down the hall, he heard a commotion coming from the office. The sounds of books falling and crashing to the floor, a painting falling off the wall, and he was pretty sure he heard the rolling chair Bill was sitting in tip over. He ignored the noises and knocked on Mabel's door.

Her eyes were still puffy and red, but she seemed to be in a slightly better mood. The pancakes were sitting on her nightstand, half-eaten. "Is Grunkle Stan in here?" Dipper asked after shutting the door and stepping over a sleeping Waddles.

 

"Dipper, what are you talking about?"

"Bill said he was with you. Did you see anything weird? Stuffed animals moving, talking, whatever?" Mabel shook her head in response. Her brother sighed and placed himself on the edge of her bed.

"He probably doesn't know how to do an of that.. Nevermind. But he should be in here. Maybe. I think." He glanced over at Mabel. She furrowed her brow and pulled her knees close to her chest.

"I don't see Grunkle Stan anywhere," she mumbled.

"That’s cause can't see or hear him," Dipper explained. “But he can hear us and stuff. Plus, Bill can see him, and said he was in here. He wanted to make sure you were okay."

Mabel sniffled. "Right." She took a quick look around her room. 

"I talked to Bill for a second," Dipper mentioned. Mabel looked up at him as she patted the bed. Waddles hopped up onto the mattress and curled up between her and Dipper. "He said the accident happened a few days ago, and he made the deal with Stan this morning," he told her as he stroked the pig's back. "I don't get what he would want with Stan. If you're listening, Stan, no offense, but if he really wanted a human body or whatever, he could have picked someone with a lot of money, or maybe an athlete or something. You know?"

Mabel rested her chin on her knees.

****Dipper frowned and leaned against the wall. "Maybe it was because of us?" He suggested. "Bill used to talk about how he had big plans. If we died..." He trailed off. "I don't think  he would need us for whatever he's scheming, honestly. He would have used us for something by now." The twins actually hadn't seen Bill since their first summer in town. He had tricked and possessed Dipper, but they'd defeated him. After that, their time spent in Gravity Falls had been smooth and demon-free.

"Bill said something about using Stan to go to Vegas, but I honestly don't believe that one bit," Dipper muttered. "He's gotta want Stan for something," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe Bill's looking for something." Mabel picked at one of the pancakes and held it in front of Waddles, who gobbled it up cheerfully. "Stan isn't hiding anything, though. Not that I would imagine, anyways," Dipper huffed. ****

**  
** "We'll just have to keep a close eye on Bill, then," Mabel said, sitting up straighter.

Dipper rose to his feet. "I guess so," he sighed. **  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next two days, both of the twins had rarely left their bedrooms. Dipper pushed against the desk, sending his chair rolling backwards towards the attic window. He glimpsed through the glass at the empty parking lot and sighed. The gift shop and museum had been closed for almost a week now. He didn't know when or if they would even bother opening it again. It wouldn't be the same without Stan, and there was no way that they were going to let Bill be a tour guide. Dipper turned his attention back towards the laptop sitting on the table.

He yawned sleepily and closed out of one of the many tabs he'd opened. Dipper had been searching for answers on how to get rid of Bill, but had no luck. He realized that, because of this, he hadn't been resting much. Rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose, he looked away from the bright glow of his computer screen for a moment. His eyes were irritated. Maybe I should go outside or something, he thought. Instead, Dipper clicked on another link.

Dipper swung his head around towards his door when he heard a loud commotion coming from downstairs. He figured Bill was getting into stuff again and considered letting Mabel deal with it, but then again, she'd been taking care of Stan whenever she left her bedroom. With an annoyed huff, he got up, leaving his research and virus-infested links behind.

"Bill!" He shouted from outside of Stan's office as he was joined by Mabel. Bill had gotten into the habit of leaving the door shut and locked. Dipper was almost positive he was in the office, however, since they could both hear the sounds of their great uncle's belongings being slammed around. "Great," Mabel muttered. "He's gonna hurt himself!" 

She swung her foot out and kicked the door in irritation. It didn't seem like Bill would be unlocking the door any time soon. Mabel slumped against the wall. "What do we do?" Dipper muttered as he started to pace the hall. Both twins looked up as they heard a small click. Bill slipped out of the door and quickly closed it. It locked shut behind him.   
"Kids," the dream demon nodded before strolling away. 

"What is he up to?" Mabel grouched once Bill was out of earshot. Dipper shook his head. "I wish I knew," he sighed, glancing back at the office door. "That room's probably trashed, though," he complained. He hoped that wherever Stan was, he hadn't seen the wreck his office had been turned into. 

Mabel trudged away from the door, hanging her head. Dipper leaned against the wall and watched his twin walk away. He was unsure of what to say to her.

An idea popped into his head.

\---

Dipper held his breath and paused outside the door to Stan's bedroom. This was a bad idea. He had only been in there twice- once, to retrieve a business card his uncle had confiscated, and another, when Waddles had gone missing for a few hours (turns out the pig was just asleep in the bathtub). Stan Pines didn't like people invading his space. Dipper could respect that. He was similar in the same way. But sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder what other things Stan had hidden. Sure, there were some things Dipper would never want to see, but it was also where his uncle had his hiding places for all sorts of things. Still, Stan's room was off-limits, and he'd be dead if he were caught.

But Stan technically wasn't here.

He nudged the door open with his foot. Dipper crept through the space he'd created and glanced around. On the bed, Bill was sprawled out on his stomach, dead asleep. It had taken almost an entire day to convince Bill that it was a good idea to change out of regular clothes to pajamas, or even to change clothes at all. He was now thankful they'd talked him into doing so, because it would make his plan a lot easier. Dipper scanned the room in the darkness, squinting.

Slowly, he made his way over to the dresser. In a crumpled heap on top of it was the black jacket both Bill and Stan were so fond of wearing. Dipper fished around in one of the pockets and pulled out a skinny, black key. He turned his back towards Bill and faced the door.

Bill let out a loud snore, mumbling in his sleep. "Stop," he muttered. "Back." Dipper pivoted on his heel, curious as to what Bill was dreaming about. Wait. Could demons even dream? Dipper figured since Bill was now technically a human of some sorts, if he could sleep, he could dream. "Go back," Bill mumbled, lifting his head. "Portal."

Dipper slipped out of the room, relieved he'd gotten the key before Bill could wake up.


	7. Chapter 7

Mabel had eventually started taking the spare bedroom in the Mystery Shack once the twins decided they were too old to share a room and needed more space. It had once been the break room of employee Soos, but he had moved away to Portland a few summers back to be with his girlfriend. The wooden walls were plastered with posters, drawings, sticky-notes with shopping lists scribbled on them, and twinkling Christmas lights had been strung along the perimeter of the room. Her room was a cozy, safe place where she felt the most comfortable. Because of this, she'd mostly stayed put since they'd gotten home from the hospital.

She frowned as she placed the fourth piece of clothing she'd ruined this week into a black trash bag. Mabel had finally gotten around to talking to her parents. She was hoping Dipper would participate in the phone call she'd arranged, but he was nowhere to be found. During said call, she had gotten anxious and burned a large hole right through the sleeve of one of her favorite sweaters. Mabel had lied to her mom and dad, telling them that she and Dipper had gone through a new, risky treatment that had set them on a steady road to recovery, and they would be out of the hospital in a few days. She also told them to cancel the trip they were planning to make up to Oregon to see them. Mabel felt guilty about it all, but for the most part, her parents had actually bought the story.

"Oh, Waddles," Mabel mumbled, hanging her head and arms over the edge of her bed. The pig lied underneath her dangling hands, and she rubbed his stomach for a moment. "What are we going to do?" Mabel scratched the top of the pig's head. "Grunkle Stan's a ghost, Bill is being weird, and I keep ruining all of my clothes!"

She sat up, an idea churning in her head. It was partially inspired by a cheesy horror flick she'd caught the other day as part of the weekly bargain movie showcase- one about a gang of teenagers who had found an old Ouija board in their attic. Sure, three kids died and one was possessed, but if Stan was possibly a ghost, it was likely he would be able to communicate with her. Mabel climbed out of bed, ready to get dressed and head out to the toy store in the mall.

* * *

Dipper had wanted to show Mabel the key as soon as he'd gotten it, but he remembered it was late and she was likely in bed. Plus, he was tired from his lack of sleep and had finally gotten some rest. When he awoke in the morning, he practically jumped bed and fumbled for the key. He'd hidden it in his sock drawer, tucked inside the first pair on the left.

He shoved the key in the pocket of his sweatpants and made his way down the attic steps. Dipper grinned, proud of the fact that he had managed to sneak the thing past Bill, and excited to show Mabel what he'd done. However, when he poked his head through his bedroom door, she was gone. All that was left was a notepad sitting on her bed and a trash bag full of ruined clothing. The most recent paper on the pad had the words "GROCERY LIST" scribbled across the top, items they'd planned to buy, and a doodle of a cat wearing a superhero mask and cape.

Dipper picked it up and bit his lip. The whole car accident had sort of been his fault. If he had just kept his eyes on the road, he could have avoided that truck, and none of this would have ever happened. He didn't realize that his index finger had ignited, burning a hole through the notepad. "Shit!" Dipper hissed as he dropped the papers into the floor. He blew on his finger, causing the small flame to die.

He needed to talk to Mabel, ASAP.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Bill had locked himself in the office once again. He had already patted down the walls, moved all the pictures hanging up, searched through all the books, and had even peeled up some of the floorboards. The code he was looking for was nowhere to be found. The demon was starting to get frustrated.

 

"You're never going to find it," Stan spat, his arms crossed. He hovered in the air above Bill and a stack of old books that were either cheesy science fiction novels (they weren't his) or thick guides to managing businesses.

"Nobody asked you, Pines," Bill growled as he threw a composition notebook over his shoulder. It hit the wall with a loud thunk.

 

Stan rolled his eyes. Bill was being immature about it all, but then again, Bill was an immature guy. At first, he was worried about the demon finding what he was looking for and destroy all of the work that had taken place underneath the shack's gift shop so long ago, but now, Bill was practically harmless. His only real concern was the kids getting hurt. However, Stan couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Dipper or Mabel about anything, considering they had both been unconscious at the time. In the heat of the moment, he was desperate and panicked. Bill had taken advantage of him to get what he wanted.

 

The old man drifted through the walls, looking for either Dipper or Mabel. He found his nephew sitting at his desk. Stan stopped next to Dipper and sighed. "I-" He started, even though he knew it was impossible for anyone to hear him.

 

Dipper didn't even look up from his laptop. He scrolled through his social media feeds, completely oblivious.

"I'm sorry, Dip," Stan said quietly, his voice hoarse. "I know you can't hear me, but I mean it. I panicked. I didn't know what I would do without you and your sister around-" he hung his head. "But you've gotta be careful. Bill's sneaky. Manipulative. He's after the p-" Stan cut himself off. It was pointless to even bother trying to talk to anyone. Dipper and Mabel had no idea about the danger that was headed their way. Maybe it was safer for them to not know. Knowing the twins, they would come up with a plan and just get involved with things. They could get hurt.

 

Stan drifted out of the room, staring at the floor.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

"Dip! I'm home!" Mabel shouted, the bag from the toy store brushing against her legs. There wasn't an answer. "Fine then," she grumbled. "I'll talk to Grunkle Stan on my own." She made her way towards her bedroom. Waddles rushed after her, sniffing and snorting at her feet. Mabel held the door open for the pig before closing it.

She flicked the lights off and reached in the plastic bag for the fake candles she'd bought. Mabel tore the packaging apart and used her mails to turn on the small switched underneath the lights. Waddles watched her curiously as she placed the candles on the floor. After she was comfortable in a pile of pillows between her bed and the flickering lights, Mabel pulled out the other item from the bag. She placed the Ouija board beside the candles.

_Am I doing this right?_ Mabel thought as she placed two fingers on the planchette. She waited a moment, before letting out a quiet laugh. "Oh, right, I have to ask a question! Okay, uh... Grunkle Stan, are you there?" Mabel asked eagerly. Her focus stayed on the cheap, glow-in,the-dark plastic underneath her hand.

Mabel waited.

And waited.

Just as she was about to lift her fingers, the planchette jerked forward. She gasped and watched as it crept closer to the side of the board marked 'YES'.  Mabel grinned from ear to ear. The triangle-shaped object was just about to hit the word as her door swung open. She whipped her head around and pulled her hand away from the planchette.

"Mabel, what are you doing sitting here in the dark?" Dipper asked as he turned on the lights. Mabel groaned and squinted at him as she tried to get her eyes adjusted to the shift in lighting.

"I was trying to talk to Stan," she muttered. "Or maybe I actually was. I don't know, because you kind of interrupted!" She snapped. Dipper showed her a hurt look.

She let out a soft sigh. "Sorry. I've just been kind of stressed. I've actually been meaning to talk to you," Mabel mumbled.

"Yeah, me too," Dipper said as he nudged the door shut with his foot. He crossed over to where Mabel was sitting and eased himself down beside her.

"I talked to mom and dad," she admitted.

"You  what?" Dipper's jaw dropped. "You told them about-" Mabel shook her head and cut him off.

"No, no! I lied and said we were on this new drug called, uh... What did I call it, hang on," she paused to think, trying to recall what she'd said earlier. "Cipherax!" Mabel nodded.

"Cipherax?" Dipper repeated.

"Sure, we'll have to tell them this stuff later, but for now, they think we're test subjects for a medicine that can cure almost anything." Dipper had to admit, it honestly wasn't too far from the truth.

"Anyways, yeah, they also canceled a trip they were planning to make up here. It took a lot of convincing, but I said we would try to come home in a few weeks to see them." Mabel picked up one of the fake candles and held it in her palm. "What did you want to tell me?" She questioned Dipper. He pulled the office key out of his hoodie pocket and set it in Mabel's hand next to the light. "You didn't!" She whispered, closing her fingers around the object.

"Took it from Bill after I sneaked into his room," Dipper beamed.

"When do we go check out the office?" Mabel nudged his side.

"Later. When he's asleep. I'll wake you up, okay?" He smiled. He was eager. Almost excited.

The bedroom door flung open. "Kids!" Bill snapped, causing Mabel to jump and Dipper to grab her arm.

"What?" She asked, still a bit shaken up.

"Where's the key to my office?" Bill demanded. Mabel was slow as she hid the key under a blanket.

"What's that in your hand?" Bill glimpsed down. She opened her palm, revealing the fake candle.

"It probably fell out of your pocket or something," Dipper suggested nervously.

Bill rolled his eyes.

"Weren't you down in the gift shop?" Mabel shot her brother a worried look after speaking.

"I was. Doing important stuff," Bill muttered.

"Why don't you check there?" Mabel mumbled. The demon let out an irritated noise and left the room.

"You've gotta hide this thing," Dipper said, pulling the key back out. "He'll be more suspicious of me, I think."

Mabel nodded and took it from him. She got up, careful not to step on the Ouija board. After taking a quick look around, she placed the key in a shoebox full of stickers on the top of her bookshelf. She flashed Dipper a thumbs up and sat down on the floor across from him.

Dipper picked up the planchette and turned it over in his hand. "So you really tried talking to Stan with this?" He frowned when he saw 'MADE BY PLAYWAY TOYS' marked across the bottom. 

"Mhm," Mabel murmured. "I think he actually answered me, too. Or started to," she admitted.

"I would have never thought of trying this," Dipper mumbled, smiling a little. "I got the idea from a movie," Mabel laughed as Dipper set the plastic back on the board.  "Maybe we could try again later?" He said as he stood up. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Maybe go to the grocery store."

Mabel nodded again as her brother helped her off the floor. "I'll go with you," she smiled a little. The two left the room, Waddles huffing and trotting along behind them.

 


	10. Chapter 10

The twins were as quiet as they could possibly be as they crept down the hallway. Mabel gripped the key in her hand, a little anxious about what they were about to do. She lead the way towards Stan's office without saying anything to Dipper.

 

She glimpsed over at him as she inserted the key into the lock. Mabel turned it over and grinned when she heard the soft click. "Go in," Dipper whispered before his sister opened the office door and held it open for him. His jaw dropped when he entered the place.

 

"He trashed Stan's office!" Mabel hissed, looking around.

 

Two shelves had been knocked over, their contents spilled all onto the floor. Dipper bent over and picked up a book titled _Success in Business Management 1986_ and another titled _War of the Body Snatchers_. "I never knew Stan was into sci fi," he muttered before looking up. "Mabel, what are you doing?"

 

Mabel was standing on top of the chair that went with the desk, studying the ceiling. "Looking for something," she whispered back.

"And that something would be?" Dipper set the books back down in the pile and stepped over a fallen portrait. "I dunno. Whatever Bill was looking for," Mabel answered, squinting.

 

"You're gonna get hurt," Dipper held out his hand to help her down. She sighed and reached for it. However, when she leaned forward, the chair tipped. Mabel slipped, her arm swinging out. It collided with the antler of a taxidermy jackelope head mounted on the wall. Instead of the antler falling off or breaking, it bent down at an angle.

 

Mabel landed on the floor, clutching her arm. Dipper's eyes widened. "Mabel, look," he whispered, nudging her side.

 

"What?" She grumbled, rubbing her elbow.

 

"Oh."

 

A large section of the wall had rotated, revealing a screen, a shelf full of old tapes, and a small box filled with papers. "What's...?" Mabel scrambled to her feet and approached the new clues.

 

"Security tapes from the gift shop," Dipper mumbled, turning one over in his hand. He inserted it into the slot beneath the screen and waited. Mabel stood next to him, rubbing her arms nervously.

 

They watched.

 

Their great uncle moved across the screen, wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit. "What's going on?" Dipper whispered, biting his nails. Stan seemed to be transporting large, grey barrels through the shop. The camera didn't show where he was putting them. Mabel twisted her lips into a frown.

 

"What would he need those for?" She asked in a hushed tone before looking over at Dipper. Her eyes widened, and she yanked his hand away from his mouth.

 

"Thanks." Dipper forced a weak smile after blowing out the small, blue flames on his fingertips.

 

Mabel crouched down and pulled out a small box. Inside, she found newspaper clippings, drivers licenses and other sources of identification, and a scrap of paper that seemed to be some sort of key or code. "Do you think this is what Bill was looking for?"

 

Mabel and Dipper sat on the floor behind Stan's desk and rummaged through the contents of the box. "8-ball?" She muttered, holding up an ID. It was clearly fake. Dipper would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "I don't get it. Why would Stan need these?" He questioned as he picked up a piece of what he first thought was scratch paper. The words 'SECRET CODE TO HIDEOUT' were scrawled across the top, the red lettering fading.

 

"Is this, what, some kind of code, or-"

"It's the vending machine!" Mabel suddenly hissed, shoving her brother's arm. She poked the squares on the sheet. "See? They're the buttons!"

 

Dipper nodded. He brushed his thumb over the paper and frowned. Why would a sheet like this be blank? "Hang on. This looks like the paper from that journal," Mabel mumbled as she took the clipping from him.

 

His eyes widened. The journal! During their first summer spent in town, Dipper had found a thick, leather journal hidden away in the woods. It was full of clues to different mysteries, but the only one Dipper hadn't managed to solve was the one of who the author was. He'd eventually given up on his effort to find the person behind the book. However, in the journal, the author had hidden messages with invisible ink.

 

"Hold this. I'm gonna go grab a blacklight." Dipper was quick as he got up. Mabel turned over a fake ID in her hand, studying it. That was definitely Grunkle Stan in the photo, despite the unique facial hair and name.

 

Dipper returned, a skinny wand in his hand. He pressed a button on the end, causing it to glow purple. Mabel held the paper underneath it. Sure enough, a few of the boxes were glowing. "So if we were to press these, something would happen..." She looked up at her twin. "Should we try?" Mabel tucked the paper back with the contents of the box. Dipper shook his head.

 

"Tomorrow. We'll get Bill out of the house or something. I have a feeling he's not supposed to know about whatever Stan's hiding..." He closed the lid on the box. "We'll check into the fake IDs and stuff, too. We'll get some rest. Clear our heads and work on this tomorrow. Got it?" Dipper passed the container over to Mabel.

 

"Got it." She bumped Dipper's fist with her's.

 

Mabel stood and carefully reached for the antler of the jackelope. She tugged on it and sent the panel rotating back into the wall. "I'll keep this under my bed," she replied sleepily. Dipper rubbed his eyes. Bill wouldn't have even been able to tell they'd even been in the room.

 

The twins slipped back to their own rooms without saying much more.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

While they hadn't managed to get Bill out of the house, Dipper and Mabel had gotten him to sleep early after tiring him out with several pointless questions over dinner. Mabel had asked him, "Who would win in a fight? A polar bear, or Waddles in a giant robot suit?" The demon had finally given up and muttered, "I'm going to bed."

 

The Shack was quiet now. Dipper waved the blacklight over the scrap paper and quickly punched in the code onto the vending machine's buttons. He took a shaky step back and waited a moment. "Maybe it's not going to do anyth-"

 

The machine opened up like a door, creaking and letting out a large cloud of dust. Mabel coughed and fanned the air as her brother excitedly tugged his arm. "Look!" He exclaimed, pointing to a new opening in the wall. Mabel nervously fumbled with the box she had tucked under her arm. It was still stuffed with all of the items Stan had left inside, but she'd also placed her grappling hook in it, just in case they ran into something dangerous below the Shack.

 

Dipper approached the doorway and motioned for Mabel to follow him. She tugged at a handle strapped to the back of the vending machine and let it shut behind them with a quiet squeak. Mabel held her weapon out in front of her, a bit nervous. "Let me go first!" she called after her brother, who was already descending down the staircase in front of them.

 

He sighed and stopped to let Mabel pass him. She led the way, carefully watching her steps in the dim light. Dipper held out the blacklight and used it to brighten up the stairway.

 

There was an old elevator at the bottom of the steps. "S-should we?" Mabel turned to look back at Dipper, who nodded. Where would it take them? They were already at what would be considered a basement-level, and the only way it could travel would be down. She mashed down a button, and the doors jerked back. The twins climbed inside and waited as they sunk lower into the earth.

 

"I had no idea any of this was here," Dipper muttered, leaning back against the wall.

"Why would Stan hide this from us?" He was worried about whatever could be where they were headed. It had to be something seriously bad if their uncle never mentioned it. After a moment of quiet, Mabel spoke up. "Do you think Stan's like, with us? Following us?" She asked quietly.

 

Dipper thought about it for a second. "I guess so. I don't see why he wouldn't be." He looked up as the doors rolled back open.

"Woah," Mabel whispered as she stepped out first. Her hands shook as she tried to hold onto her grappling hook. It was hard to see with such little light, but Mabel noticed that the barrels they had seen in the security tapes had been unloaded in the area.

 

Mabel whipped her head around as several machines and lights whirred to life. Dipper had found a large switch and had turned on most of the equipment Stan had been hiding. Slowly, he approached a desk. His jaw dropped.

 

Two journals sat, stacked on top of each other. "Mabel, come here," he hissed quickly before he was joined by his sister. "The other two journals." Each book had a plate on the front, shaped like a hand with six fingers. They were both marked with numbers. "Why would Stan-"

 

"He's been hiding these from us," Dipper spat shakily. "Why would he have these?" Mabel mumbled, running her hands across the cover of one.

"You don't think he's the guy, do you?" She looked up at Dipper as she opened up the first journal. The girl noticed he had left a bookmark on a page.

 

The paper seemed to have some sort of grid or blueprint scribbled out on it, but it trailed off the page. Mabel squinted at it for a moment. "It's like a puzzle!" She fumbled for the other book, but when she tried to look back up at her brother, he was gone. "Dip?" She squeaked.

 

"Mabel!" Dipper had exited through a door beside the desk.

She peered through a glass window in front of her and saw him standing on the other side. "What are you doing?" Mabel was immediately worried about him getting harmed out there.

"Come here!"

He poked his head back into the room. Rolling her eyes, Mabel followed her brother through the entryway. It was hard to keep him out of things- he was just too nosy and curious.

 

It was too dark for her to really see anything at first. She knew she was standing on dirt and gravel, and also assumed the new area was fairly wide considering the way her brother's voice echoed. "Do you see that thing?" Dipper babbled, both excited and nervous.

Mabel squinted. "No...?" She paused. "Wait."

 

Towards the other end of the space was a large, triangular figure. Mabel could really only see its silhouette. She turned towards Dipper. "O-okay. Can we go back inside now?" For some reason, whatever it was made her feel uneasy. Dipper nodded and led the way back into the room they'd come from.

 

Mabel eased herself down into a desk chair. "So," she mumbled. "Stan's probably the guy that wrote the journals, and he's hiding a big- what is this, some kind of lab? Some kind of lab down here." Dipper started to pace. "We would have found out sooner if we'd just showed him the damn thing," he muttered.

 

"What do you mean?" Mabel questioned.

"You don't remember?" Dipper paused. "We were like, twelve. Right after we got the deed to the shack back from Gideon, we were going to show Stan the journal, but he was busy. We said we would show him later, but we never got around to it."  He glanced up at her.

"I think I remember that," she mumbled, thinking.

 

Dipper sat down on the edge of the desk. "If we'd showed him the journal, he would have told us he was the author," he sighed. "Or at least, that he had the other two books. But now he's..." He shook the thought away and stared at his lap.

"Can I tell you something?" Mabel nudged his side.

 

"What?" Dipper lifted his head.

"I figured out that-" Mabel flipped one of the journals to the bookmarked page. "This? Forms a puzzle, I guess. Put the pieces together and it makes something." She propped it up against the wall and thumbed through the other journal. They had two out of the three pieces. "Your journal is the next p-"

 

He jumped up. "Mabel! What if it has something to do with that thing out there?" Dipper turned back towards the elevator. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go grab my journal," he called over his shoulder before mashing down one of the buttons.

 

After he'd left, Mabel had gotten up from her seat. She slowly wandered around the room, examining buttons and switches on various control panels. The girl glimpsed over the tattered pages in front of her. The small, fading letters didn't seem to form any English words, or, at least, not any she knew. It was like they were a code or something.

 

_A code._

Mabel rummaged around for a moment and found a notepad and pen. Dipper had taught her about hidden messages and how to decode them shortly after they'd arrived in town. She wasn't the greatest at decoding them, but she was fairly decent.

 

"I'm back," Dipper grinned as he rushed over to her side. He rustled through the pages in his journal before finding the one that matched up with the other two sets. Carefully, he lied it out flat on the desk. "What are you doing?" He asked Mabel. She shushed him and held up a finger.

 

She pumped her fist into the air. "It's a code! Instructions for a machine!" Mabel quickly pushed her chair towards the other end of the desk.

"What are you-" Dipper watched his sister push a few of the little knobs and switches resting on a large, metal box.

 

On the other side of the glass, several blue bulbs began to glow. "What's that?" She whispered, standing up. Dipper quickly made his way back over towards the door. "Wait for me!" Mabel exclaimed as she followed him back into the area.

 

In the new light, Dipper could see better. The twins slowly approached the shape, their heads tilted up.

 

"Ow!" He hissed before realizing he'd stumbled into a lever of some sorts. "Should I pull this?" Dipper asked Mabel.

She looked over at him and thought about it for a moment. "I guess," she shrugged.

 

Dipper wrapped his hands around the narrow part of the switch and pushed it the away from him. Sparks and- what, was that _lightning?_ Shot out of the machine. He stumbled back and clung onto Mabel, eyes wide. They watched as various lights flickered and beamed for a moment.

 

The opening in the machine shined bright, illuminating the room.

* * *

 

The twins had stumbled back into the room in front of the machine. "O-okay, so Stan's got a huge- what is that thing? - in the basement. B-but why?" Mabel turned back to the journals. "There's gotta be an explanation o-or something!" She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to translate something she'd seen scribbled down on the page.

 

Dipper started to pace, his brow furrowed. "I'm thinking," he muttered, staring at the floor as he moved. "Is it like, maybe a laser? A really, really big laser?" He thought aloud. "No, doesn't look like one. A storage unit! Maybe it stores, I don't know- money? Energy, maybe?" Dipper turned his head towards Mabel. "What do you think?"

 

She shushed him and held up a finger.

"Sorry," he whispered. Dipper let his sister work in peace for a few moments. What could Stan possibly use something like that for?

 

"It's a portal," Mabel whispered.

"A portal?" Dipper repeated.

"It's a portal!" Mabel bounced up and down in the desk chair.

"A portal to where, though?" He asked her.

"It doesn't say that anywhere on the paper, but it says how we can open it," she told him.

 

Mabel gestured towards the cluster of drums behind them. "Stan got those to power up the machine. He knew that he needed them, but our journal has the page that says what to do with them. He wouldn't have even known what they're for!" She spun around in her chair to face the desk again.

 

"So what do we do?" Dipper leaned forward against the table.

"We start unloading the stuff from the barrels into the different doohickeys and get it to open, I guess," Mabel shrugged. "Assuming we're going to open it. S-should we?"

 

Dipper glanced out through the glass. The portal had to be important to Stan. Neither one of the twins knew where it would go or why it was there, but Dipper did know that it needed to be activated, and soon.

 

"Yeah," he answered. "We'll open it."

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Over the next three days, Dipper and Mabel spent most of their time in the portal room, emptying the contents of the heavy containers into various slots and pits. Considering how much work it was hauling the barrels around the area and making sure everything was still running, it ended up taking them a while. They didn't mind the work though. It was almost fun. They had brought speakers and Mabel's phone into the lab and had played music while they sorted everything out.

 

Dipper stretched after climbing out of bed early on a Tuesday morning. If Mabel was right, they could get the portal open by that evening. He was a little nervous about what would happen when it finally worked again. What if something went wrong?

 

He made his way downstairs, rubbing his eyes. Mabel was already waiting for him in the gift shop. She was pretending to restock a shelf of bobbleheads shaped like their uncle in case Bill walked in, but the demon was still asleep. "Morning, Mabel," Dipper yawned.

 

Mabel crossed over to the vending machine. "I'm so excited to see what really happens when it opens," she whispered quickly. Beaming, Mabel punched in the code and held the door open for Dipper. She let it slam shut behind them.

 

"I'm sort of nervous," Dipper admitted as they climbed down the steps. "We don't know what's gonna come out of that thing," he mumbled. Mabel mashed down the elevator button. They stepped into the tight space.

 

Mabel fumbled with the hem of her skirt. "I kinda am, too," she sighed. "But it could also be really cool. Or like, something really good. Like... Uh..." She tapped her chin in thought. "Aliens coming to show us how to have world peace," Mabel giggled.

 

Dipper laughed as he approached the desk once the doors rattled open. He plugged his phone into the speakers and turned the volume up. There were only a few more barrels to empty.

* * *

 

"Dipper, look!" Mabel exclaimed, pointing up at a large countdown clock positioned above the desk. "It's counting down until it opens," Dipper murmured, shoving his hands in his pockets. He glimpsed over at Mabel and his eyes widened.

 

Her long, brown hair was floating around her head. "What's wrong?" Mabel raised a brow. Dipper snickered and pointed at her. "Woah," she whispered, reaching up and brushing her fingers through her locks.

 

"The portal's gotta be doing that," Dipper sighed as he flicked through the journals. He found one page with the corner bent down to separate it from the others. After skimming the text, Dipper passed the book over to Mabel.

 

"Gravity anomalies?" Mabel muttered, setting the journal back on the desk.

"The whole town's gonna be like this until it opens,"  Dipper replied with a nervous laugh. He looked back at the clock. "It should open early tomorrow morning if I'm right," he sighed. "So we'll just have to hang tight."

 

Mabel flashed her brother a quick smile. "Wanna go to Greasy's for lunch and celebrate?" She asked him,  elbowing his side. Dipper nodded and followed Mabel back towards the elevator.

* * *

 

"Man," Mabel grumbled. "My fries are cold." She pushed the plastic basket of junk food away from her and sipped at her soda instead. "You okay?" Frowning, Mabel glanced up at Dipper.

 

"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay," he answered. Mabel took another sip of her root beer and crossed her arms. "Promise?" She said with a slight smile. Dipper nodded quickly. "Yeah, I promise."

 

Dipper actually wasn't really okay. He was anxious over the whole portal opening situation. Whatever came out of it could seriously change everything. He wasn't sure if he would be ready for that.

 

"What are you doing?" Dipper raised a brow as Mabel propped the menus up around her food. She hovered her finger above the fries, a small flame resting at the tip of it.

"Heating up my food," she murmured, concentrating. Her hand slipped and she ended burning a few. "I would rather have fries that are burnt and extremely hot over soggy and cold fries," Mabel giggled before popping one into her mouth.

  


"Is that Pacifica?" Dipper squinted at a girl standing on the other side of the diner.

Mabel whipped her head around. "Where?" She said with a mouth full of mashed french fries. A tall figure with lengthy blond hair pushed through the main door and scanned the restaurant for a place to sit.

 

The girl sat down at a table across from them. It felt like it had been ages since Mabel had seen her friend. Pacifica had been sent to live with her aunt in New York and had to finish high school there. Mabel occasionally video chatted or texted Pacifica, but they'd both been so busy as of late that they'd hardly said anything to each other.

 

Mabel scrambled out of the booth and rushed over towards Pacifica Northwest. "Paz!" She gushed.

"Mabel? Oh my god, I didn't know you guys were in town!" Pacifica squeaked excitedly as they were joined by Dipper. The twins slid onto the bench across from her.

 

Pacifica and Mabel chattered away, catching up with gossip and such. Dipper tried to listen and participate in their conversation, but he found himself staring at the floor. They had about 16 hours left before that portal opened.

 


	13. Chapter 13

"It sucks that Pacifica's only here for a week to see her parents," Mabel huffed, leaning back in the passenger seat. "Not to mention it's the week we're busy with all of this demon and portal stuff."

Dipper nodded.

"It was good to like, actually see her though," she smiled, tilting her head against the window.

 

She jerked forward when Dipper slammed on the brakes. "What is it?" Mabel grouched, lifting her head.

"Look," her brother murmured.

 

Up ahead, the road to the shack had been blocked off. Two large, black trucks were parked side-by-side. There was no going around them.

"What are those guys doing?" Mabel murmured.

"We're taking a detour," Dipper muttered as he pulled a u-turn.

 

Mabel nervously played with her seatbelt. The road's only destination was the Mystery Shack. If it was blocked off, something had to be happening there. "Y-you don't think Bill did anything, do you?" She squeaked. Dipper didn't answer her. Instead, he drove the car down a gravel pathway through the trees.

 

"We'll just have to check it out," Dipper said, glimpsing over at Mabel. He parked next to a stream and climbed out of the vehicle.

"Where are you going?" She called after jumping out after him. Mabel bumped into the door to shut it and followed her brother.

 

"The Shack," Dipper shrugged. He stuck his arms out at his sides as he carefully stepped forward onto a rock.

"You're gonna fall," Mabel muttered.

With caution, Dipper crossed the stream. On the other side, he glanced back at the girl. "Are you coming?"

 

Mabel joined him after a few moments. They walked side-by-side through the trees. Neither one of them spoke.

 

Dipper motioned for Mabel to crouch down when they were close to the old tourist trap. The twins knelt down in the bushes, peeking out.

 

"Oh no," Mabel whispered.

 

People in heavy military gear surrounded the Mystery Shack. They'd busted through doors and windows, had certain areas marked with bright, yellow police tape, and had the road almost completely blocked off. What really caught the attention of Dipper and Mabel, however, was the loud yelling coming from the back of a vehicle parked near the trees.

 

"I'm not Stan!" Bill shouted. They couldn't see him through the tinted windows, but it was definitely the demon yelling. "What do we do about him?" Mabel whispered. They must have arrested Bill, mistaking him for Stan. "I'm not him!" Bill's voice cracked. He had been yelling for a while.

 

"We need to get to the portal," Dipper whispered. "Soon. Before those guys find it. They're looking for something." He glanced over at Mabel. She nodded. "We can bail Bill out of jail or whatever later,” he huffed.

Mabel giggled.

"What?" He mumbled.

"Bail Bill. That sounds kind of funny."

 

She was careful as she headed back the way they'd come from. "Where are you going?" Dipper whispered.

"Purse," Mabel answered. She pulled out her grappling hook from the bag she'd hoisted over her shoulder. “Follow me. I've got a plan," she announced, grinning wide.

* * *

 

"I can't believe you got me into this mess," Bill grumbled as he rattled the handcuffs that pinned his hands behind his back.

"I got you into this mess?" Stan scoffed. "This is your fault." At least, he wasn't exactly the one who had been arrested. He would have wandered away from Bill to check on the portal by now, but every time he seemed to leave the demon alone, something went wrong. The other day, Stan had found Bill with two forks and a steak knife sticking out of his leg.

 

At least Bill didn't know that the kids had opened the portal. Stan couldn't believe they'd figured it out on their own. Plus, they hadn't payed much attention to the old newspaper clippings at the bottom of the box, meaning they didn't know anything about his brother, or....

 

Stan sighed. His brother would be coming out of the portal in just a few hours, and he wouldn't even be there to greet him. Hopefully, the twins would be able to handle everything. They were smart. Tough. They had a lot in them. He was sure that things would run smoothly.

 

"Great," Stan muttered as two men in fine suits climbed in the seats in front of them. He didn't want to leave the Shack.

"I'm telling you," Bill pleaded. "I'm not that pathetic fleshbag! Just let me go!"

 

Stan rolled his eyes. He would regret doing this, but he was going to let Bill go on his own for a while.

 

He slipped out of the car, ignoring Bill's cries as the vehicle pulled away from him.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Mabel pressed her back against her brother's, holding her grappling hook away from her. The gift shop was clear of government employees, but it had taken lots of sneaking around the house to get from the attic window they'd broken into to the first floor of the building.

 

Dipper was quick as he mashed down the buttons on the vending machine. He held the door open for Mabel and pulled it shut. "We need to stay down here until it opens.  Those guys can't know we're here," he explained quietly on the trip in the elevator.

 

"We have to wait all night down here?" Mabel complained.

"It'll be okay. Kind of like a sleepover," Dipper said with a small, reassuring smile.  "The portal should open around 5 in the morning," he nodded.

 

Dipper sat on the floor, his back pressed against a countertop near the door. He closed his eyes, his head leaned back.

 

Mabel was about to speak when the desk chair started to pull away from the ground. She let out a worried shriek. "Dipper!" Was it one of those gravity anomalies the journal had mentioned? Dipper tried to tug the chair back to the floor by its legs, but he realized that he wasn't on the ground anymore, either.

"Just wait for it to end!" He called out as his head bumped the ceiling.

 

Both twins fell to the floor. They sat up, groaning and rubbing at sore spots. Mabel had slipped out of the chair, and it had landed near her. "You know, I always thought something like that would be kind of fun," she started. "It's not."

* * *

 

Bill sprinted through the trees, trying not to trip on any roots or branches. _Stupid old man body_ , he thought bitterly as he slowed down a bit. The strangest thing had happened while he had been held by the agents that had arrested him- it was like there wasn't any gravity in the area. With nothing to hold him down, Bill had managed to escape the police station.

 

The part that cracked Bill up was that the government agents had assumed he was inside of a car that was pulling away from the curb just as they'd rushed outside. They'd gotten into their vehicles and gone after it.

 

He wasn't too far from the shack. Bill knew, however, that those gravity anomalies meant that the portal had been activated and he needed to shut it down before it opened up. If it did, everything he'd worked for would be ruined. He had maybe a few hours to figure out how to get to that room and deactivate the machine.

 

 

Bill paced the gift shop. The Shack had cleared out hours ago when the people guarding it had found out he was at large and had all left to help search. Now, he was basically alone in the early hours of the morning. He hadn't seen Stan since they'd taken him away.

"I need some kind of sign!" He wasn't exactly an all-knowing demon. Bill knew most things, but not all. With an irritated groan, he leaned back against the vending machine. He slammed his fist down onto the keypad, extremely annoyed.

Bill was thrown onto the floor as a door swung open. He turned his head. "What the-" His eyes widened. "Finally! It's about damn time!" The demon rose to his feet and brushed off his suit. "Here we go."

* * *

 

The twins were resting on the ground, unaware that Bill was just above them. Dipper and Mabel had fallen asleep late in the night and had only been lying there for a little while. They'd talked and talked for what felt like forever before Mabel finally snoozed off by his side.

Dipper lifted his head. The elevator was squeaking and moving. Groggily, he fumbled for his phone. He'd set an alarm to go off at 4:45, giving them time to prepare for the portal's opening. It was 4:38. He scrambled to his feet and slowly approached the elevator shaft.

"Mabel, wake up," he hissed. His sister rolled over, mumbling.

"Mabel!"

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "What?" Mabel muttered as she sat up.

"The elevator is moving! Get up!"

She joined her brother. "Dipper, what if it's one of those government guys? I can't go to jail!" Mabel tugged on his arm.

"Let's go in the other room. We have to hide!"

Dipper followed her through the door. They sat down underneath the window and stayed quiet.

A moment later, the doors rattled open. "They aren't down here?" Bill grumbled to himself as he approached the desk. The demon bent down and grabbed Dipper's phone off the floor. "But they were..." He shook his head and threw the device over his shoulder. "Time to shut this mess down."

Mabel turned her head as the door slid open. "Bill!" She exclaimed, scooting back.

 


	15. Chapter 15

The portal suddenly let out a loud groaning noise. The lights around the opening started to spin, moving slowly. Mabel glanced up at it nervously, but her brother and Bill didn't seem to notice.

 

"How did you get down here?" Dipper demanded as he rose to his feet.

 

"I've got my secrets, Pine Tree," Bill chuckled. His forced smile faded. "Now out of my way. I have business to attend!" He shoved the scrawny boy out of his path. Dipper stumbled back.

"Hey!" Mabel shouted, jumping in front of Bill. "Don't mess with him like that!" She tried to slow him down, but he just pushed her as well on his way to a control panel at the side of the room.

"What are you even doing?" Dipper asked.

 

"Nothing," Bill replied.

 

Mabel and Dipper rushed to his side. "How did you even know-"

Bill interrupted Mabel. "I know lots of things, kid. Now leave before you regret coming down here!" He snapped. She scowled and tried to push him away from the counter.

 

"You don't even know what you're doing, do you?" Bill barked as he kicked Dipper's leg. The boy had been trying to pull Bill's hands away from the keys he'd been turning in slots carved into the countertop. Nothing was happening.

 

"We're opening the portal for Grunkle Stan!" Mabel grunted as she tried to headbutt him. Bill had stepped out of the way, however, and she'd missed her target.

 

Bill scoffed. "When that thing opens, the world is going to end! I'm trying to stop it!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the swirl of moving light.

"Stan would never do that!" Dipper insisted.

 

"Oh, Pine Tree. Poor, ignorant Pine Tree. Your great uncle is-" he snickered. "Not what he seems." Bill made his way back over to the other area. Mabel shot her brother a nervous look. Bill returned, clutching the box she'd brought down with them earlier.

 

Bill turned the container upside down, letting the contents spill onto the floor. "Hey!" She exclaimed as she ducked down to clean the mess. Mabel froze.

 

"Do you see those?" Bill grinned. "Your uncle isn't who you think he is! He's been lying to you, all these years! You've been living with a criminal!"

Mabel lifted a newspaper clipping describing a fatal car accident that had happened years back. "That's-" She shook her head. "That's not true!"

 

Dipper knelt down beside her. "I wish Stan were here so he could just explain this," he huffed.

"Bill, do you know-"Mabel's voice wobbled. "Who Stan really is?" She set the newspaper clipping down.

 

Bill laughed. "I do know who he is!" He grinned. "But I'm not telling you. I don't have to. Now let me shut this down and you can worry about that after I prevent the apocalypse. You're welcome, by the way!" The demon headed back towards the counter with the keys.

 

"Something about this isn't right," Dipper murmured quickly. "Bill isn't the type of guy to prevent an apocalypse. He would be the one causing one. He's tricking us or something." He shook his head. Mabel glimpsed back at Bill.

 

"We can't just ask Stan to explain it to us. If he were here, I'm sure he would," she mumbled back, pulling her bangs behind her ears.

"Or can we?" Dipper muttered under his breath.

"We can't. That's what I just- where are you going?"

 

Mabel followed him back over to Bill and the counter. "Bill! Wait!" Dipper had an idea. It was stupid and would sort of cost him his life, but he was stalling for time, and if it worked, Stan would be back. "I have something to ask you." He tugged Bill's hand away from one of the keys.

 

"What is it, Pine Tree?" Bill snapped.

 

"An o-offer!" Dipper stammered, before repeating in a firm tone, "An offer." Mabel raised a brow and shook her head. "You let Mabel keep her demon powers or whatever, and give Stan his body back," Dipper stated.

 

Bill scoffed. "You have to give me something in exchange for that, dummy!" He rolled his eyes.

"I-I know," Dipper mumbled. "You can have my body. T-to possess, I mean."

 

"You think I want your scrawny ass?" Bill laughed. "Nice try." He turned back towards the job of turning the keys.

"Think about it! A human vessel, w-with demon powers! And one who's close to that portal! You could still try to shut it down," Dipper begged.

 

Bill shook his head. "Stan will just shut it down. You're trying to trick me." He paused and looked over the keys. What was he doing wrong? No matter how many times he turned them, nothing happened.

 

"I don't care about the portal anymore!" Dipper lied. "I just want Stan back. Please," he croaked. Mabel set her hand on Dipper's shoulder.

"You can't be serious about this," she murmured worriedly. Bill stepped back from the keys as Dipper wriggled away from Mabel.

 

"Fine, kid. Your uncle gets his body and I get yours. You're gonna regret this, but whatever. Not my fault that you're an idiot." Bill shrugged as he clamped his hand down in Dipper's.

"Dipper, no!" Mabel cried out as she tried to pull him away from Bill.

  
She watched as her uncle's body and her brother fell to the floor.


	16. Chapter 16

Dipper was floating a good two feet off the ground. "Are we-" he glanced up at Bill, who no longer looked like his Grunkle Stan. Instead, the demon was his old, triangular self. "Mindscape. We're in the Mindscape. Your new home." Bill drifted closer to Dipper's body. "You, sir, are a fool," he chuckled.

 

"Hey!" Dipper grumbled. He was already starting to regret his decision. "Stan?" He muttered as he noticed another figure next to them.

 

His uncle turned and looked at Dipper.

 

"You shouldn't have done that," Stan said quietly, shaking his head. "You don't know what it's like in here!" He approached Dipper slowly. "Bill's going to be the only one who can see and hea-"

 

"I know," Dipper nodded. Stan raised a brow. "It's happened to me before. Long story," he sighed. "I can handle it. Trust me." They both glanced back over at the portal. "Make sure it stays running," Dipper mumbled. "And make sure he doesn't hurt Mabel."

 

Stan hovered above his body. "I have to hurry, ‘gotta make sure he keeps that thing going,” he muttered. “If he shuts it down-” Dipper nodded quickly before Stan could finish his thought. “Thank you, Dipper,” his uncle said, setting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

“F-for what?” Dipper raised a brow. It was rare to hear the old man thank him, and Dipper couldn’t really think of why he’d be saying it now.

 

“What do you mean? You and your sister got this running for me. I wouldn’t have known what to do! And you’re smart. You two both kept Bill out of trouble, you made sure he didn’t find all of this- well, he found it eventually, but at least you tried! And now you’re risking your life for me!” Stan waved his hands in the air. Dipper awkwardly nodded again. Was his uncle tearing up?”  
  
“Oh shit,” Dipper hissed as the lights of the portal grew brighter. “I’ve gotta go,” Stan sighed. “Sorry, kid.”

 

“Bye, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper mumbled.

 

“See ya’, Dip,” the old man replied before slipping back into reality.

 

Dipper was alone.

* * *

 

Mabel was sitting between the bodies of Dipper and Stan, waiting for something to happen. Her fingertips were glowing with small flames, and no matter how many times she attempted to extinguish them, nothing changed. Her lip quivered as she hung her head.

 

"Mabel?" Stan muttered as he sat up. The man coughed and leaned back a bit.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed before tackling him in a hug. He fell back to the ground, laughing a little. She giggled, but they both quieted down.

 

They both seemed to realize at the same moment that it was extremely possible that they would never see the Pines boy again. Specifically, actual Dipper- not just his body.

 

Bill had already gotten up and was trying to turn the keys. "I don't understand," he grumbled. Mabel and Stan both looked over at the demon.

 

"He's going to shut it down!" She said to her uncle as she scrambled to her feet.

"He doesn't know how to access the shutdown button, it's alright-"

 

Bill had used both hands and his teeth to turn all three keys at once. In front of the portal, a small lever with a beaming red button shot out of the ground. He swung his head around. "Shit," Mabel heard Stan grumble under his breath.

 

All three of them rushed towards the button. Stan threw his arms around Bill, thankful for once that his nephew had been so small and unathletic. He stumbled backwards, dragging the demon with him. "Let me go!" Bill cried out before clamping his mouth down on Stan's arm.

 

Stan yelped and loosened his grip on Bill. Part of his jacket sleeve was torn, and he could see blood. Bill was already sprinting back towards Mabel, who was trying to figure out how to hide the lever. He dove forward.

 

If it weren't for the sudden lack of gravity, Bill would have landed on his face in the dirt. However, he and Stan both ended up drifting backwards towards a wall. "Shooting Star, please!" Bill called out. "Shut it down!"

 

Mabel shook her head as she clung to the lever. "Ignore him, Mabel!" Stan barked.

"Shooting Star, the world is going to end if you don't! We'll all die! He doesn't know what he's talking about!" Bill begged.

 

She glimpsed up at the two. Bill happened to look exactly like her brother. Mabel had to remind herself that it wasn't Dipper, but rather a crazy demon who wanted them all to die. "Shooting Star! Shut it down!"

 

Mabel whimpered and closed her eyes. She wished she had some sort of magical remote that would just mute the both of them. It was hard to listen to them speak. The machine behind her started to hum, and she clung to the pole. Mabel tried to stay as still as she could be, but it was hard when she was practically floating.

 

"Shooting Star!"

 

He looked so much like Dipper that for a moment, Mabel almost wanted to believe he was.

 

What if Bill was right? The world could end. It would be her fault. No more people. No more trips to the beach in weekends. No more late night video chats with Pacifica. No more shopping trips with Dipper. No more long afternoons spent knitting sweaters. No more cuddling up with Waddles in her bed during thunderstorms. They would all be dead, and everything she loved would be destroyed in whatever apocalypse that portal unleashed.

 

Mabel hovered her hand above the button. "Mabel, no!" Stan cried. She lifted her head. The lights behind her were moving faster and faster, a beautiful swirl of colors. She felt so frustrated, so scared. Mabel was sure she would burst.

 

Mabel let her fingers slip from around the lever. She drifted up towards the portal, holding her breath.

"Shooting Star!" Bill shouted.

 

The lights were so bright. They were beautiful, definitely the prettiest thing Mabel had ever seen in her whole life. She was so close, she could almost touch them. She smiled and reached out. Her fingertips brushed against the rim of the portal's opening, the hot bulbs stinging her skin. She didn't mind, however. At this point, Mabel was almost in the portal's opening. She almost laughed. What if she got sucked into it? At least she'd be away from Bill and the stress of the deals he'd made with her family members in the past weeks. She'd be free.

  
Everything turned into a white blur.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 2 - How She Saved Her Family

Mabel Pines slowly opened her eyes. She coughed twice and tasted dirt in her mouth. _What happened?_ Shakily, she propped herself up on her elbow.

The area was a disaster. Support beams from the ceiling had crashed to the ground, scraps of metal had piled up around her, and various items from Stan's desk had been thrown about when the portal had opened. "G-Grunkle Stan?" She called out.  
  
Nearby, Stan rose to his feet and attempted to brush the dirt off of his jacket. He scanned the area for his niece before rushing over towards her.  
  
"Mabel!" Stan knelt down beside her and set his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked.

  
Nodding, she cleared her throat. Mabel vaguely remembered drifting up towards the bright lights, feeling weightless and ever so small. She couldn't recall what had happened after that, however. "Where's Di-" Mabel paused for a moment and corrected herself. "Bill?"  
  
Stan couldn't see Bill anywhere. "I don't know," he muttered. The old man stood and held his hand out to help Mabel up.

She pulled herself to her feet. "We need to find him," Mabel croaked.  
  
"Just hang on a second, okay?" Stan nervously glanced over at the portal. Mabel frowned and crossed her arms.

"Grunkle Stan," she started. "What's coming out of there?"

  
He sighed and hung his head. "Grunkle Stan," Mabel repeated. "W-what's-" Her voice cracked. She was worried, afraid. She'd never seen Stan like this. He didn't speak.  
  
She looked up towards the portal. Her jaw dropped, and she quickly nudged Stan's side with her elbow. He lifted his head. They both watched as a figure stepped over the edge of the opening. "Who is that?" Mabel squeaked.  
  
The figure pulled back a thick pair of goggles up onto their forehead. They tugged a black scarf away from their chin, revealing their face. No one spoke as the stranger crouched down and set their hand on the cover of one of the journals, which had been blown out through the door. Mabel squinted. Six fingers on both the gold plate on the book's cover and the person's hand.

  
Her uncle stared straight ahead, his eyes wide. "Grunkle Stan," Mabel repeated. "Who is that?"  
  
"The author of the journals," Stan finally answered, quietly. "My brother."  
  
Just as they were about to approach the man, there was a loud shout coming from behind a pile of debris. The three of them turned their heads to see Bill crawl out from underneath a large sheet of metal. "No!" He cried, stumbling forward.

There was a narrow cut running down his cheek. He didn't even seem to notice. "You don't know what you've done!" Bill shouted, looking between the two men and Mabel. "Bill, calm down-" She started.  
  
"Bill?" Stan's brother raised a brow.

Bill glared at the author and balled his hands into tight fists.

"Hey!" Mabel gripped his arm and tried to hold him back. The demon wriggled away from her and lunged forward.  
  
Stan tried to peel Bill off of his brother, but his attempts didn't do much. They all ended up in the gravel, shouting and wrestling with each other while ignoring Mabel's   
"Enough!" She screeched. Stan and the author slowly crawled off of Bill and stood up.  
  
"You let him into my home?" The author shouted, shooting his brother a glare.  
  
"It's not like I really had a choice!" Stan bit.

"You had the choice of letting a dream demon into my house, Stanley!"

"Stop bickering!" Mabel cried.  _Stanley?_  
  
Both men turned their heads towards the girl beside them.  
  
"We're all going to act like adults here, because that's what we are!" Mabel barked. "Well, except for maybe Bill. And I'm not officially an adult for a few more months. But you get it!" She planted her hands on her hips. "Do I make myself clear?"

   
The author and Stan both nodded.  


 

 


	18. Chapter 18

"Stop the car!"

They had been driving along the outskirts of the town. Pacifica was supposed to be heading to Salem for the day to meet up with her cousins and see relatives she hadn't visited in a while. However, she asked if they could take the long way, near the trees and cliffs surrounding the tiny town.When Pacifica had leaned her head back and closed her eyes, the limo had slowly stopped moving. She'd jerked her head forward and asked why they'd stopped. Her driver didn't answer, and she'd looked out the window to see that the vehicle was no longer on the ground. They were  _floating._ Once they'd landed on the ground, her driver immediately insisted they return to Northwest Manor. Pacifica agreed, not really wanting to go to Salem in the first place.Pacifica quickly rolled down the tinted window next to her. The limo had stopped in the middle of an empty intersection, one of the roads leading up to the Mystery Shack. She squinted. The path had been blocked off with large signs that read warnings about the danger of entering. _Mabel,_ she thought. Was she okay? "Rosie," she glanced over at the driver in front of her. Rosie was newer to the job, but was rather pleasant and Pacifica actually liked talking to her sometimes.

 

"Yes?" The woman turned to face Pacifica.

"Take that road," Pacifica said as she rolled up the window.

 

"Are you serious? It's blocked off. I don't want any trouble with the law, or your parents, for that mat-" Rosie was interrupted by the teenager behind her.

 

"Rosie, please! It's important!" Pacifica pleaded. "Tell Mom and Dad it was my idea. I need to check in on something."

There was a moment of silence."Fine," Rosie huffed, turning her attention back to the streets. Pacifica slung her backpack over her shoulder and rested her hands on her knees. She needed to see Mabel as soon as possible.When they approached the Shack, Pacifica gasped.  _Oh shit,_ she thought before scrambling towards the door. The girl climbed out of the parked limo. "If I'm not back within an hour, you can leave," she told Rosie once she stuck her head back through the door. "Bye!"Anxiously, Pacifica made her way towards the front porch. The building looked... Sunken, broken. Tired, even. She wasn't exactly sure why. When everything had started to rise off of the ground, the Mystery Shack must have gone up as well. The landing must have been harsh.It took her a few tries to wiggle the door open. It was jammed, and it required her pushing all of her weight against it to get it to budge. Pacifica gripped the straps of her bag nervously as she weaved through broken shelves and collapsed beams in the gift shop."Mabel?" She called out. "Dipshit?" Pacifica nervously squeaked as she noticed a soft, glowing light coming from the behind a shelf that had tumbled over. Ignoring he glass crunching under her feet, Pacifica set her hands on the edges of the case. It took all of her strength to move it out of the way.There was an opening in the wall. She recalled a vending machine previously taking up the space. "That wasn't there before," Pacifica muttered. Had the Pines done some remodeling? Shaking her head, the blonde stepped uneasily into the new space.A long, steep staircase descended in front of her. Pacifica swallowed nervously and started to make her way down them, one hand gripping the handrail, the other wrapped firmly around a backpack strap.  _Are they down here?_ She asked herself. What if they weren't? What if they'd been crushed under the house? She could be snooping around down here for nothing. Pacifica could be wasting time. Her friends could be dying.She shook the thoughts away as she approached a service elevator. It seemed to be her only option in terms of where to go and what to do. Pacification reached out and pressed a button. With a shaky step, she let the doors close behind her.The only way was down. There were two floors she could visit, not counting the one she was currently on. Pacifica sighed and decided to go to the lowest one.After a few moments of squeaking and rattling, Pacifica had reached what could be considered the basement of the Mystery Shack.  Cautiously, she crept closer to the edge of the narrow room. Machines whirred and blinked around her.What the hell was that thing?There was a triangular object that had crashed to the ground. Damage filled the large space on the other side of the window above the desk. This definitely wasn't the ordinary rec-room type basement she'd been expecting. She could see a few figures inside of the room, talking away. Was that Mabel?Pacifica ran through the open door and sprinted towards her friend. All four people turned their heads towards her. "Paz?" Mabel squeaked as Pacifica practically tackled her friend in a hug.

 

"Mabel!" She squeaked, holding her close. The taller girl pecked a kiss on top of her head. "Ohmygod, are you okay?" Pacifica whispered, pushing back a bit to examine the girl. Her cheeks were scratched, her hair was a mess, and a few holes had been burned in her top.

"Who is that?" An older man pointed towards Pacifica.

 

Dipper rolled his eyes. He muttered something about a llama, and in return, Pacifica snapped, "You're not exactly model material either, wise guy." Mabel wrapped her arms around Pacifica and squeezed her in another tight hug.

 

"Paz," she mumbled. "I n-need to tell you some stuff," Mabel croaked as she looked up at her.

"O-of course!" Pacifica replied. Mabel opened her mouth to speak, but paused when her great uncle cleared his throat.

 

They both turned to face Stan and a man who looked almost identical to him. "Can I get back to my story?" The new person asked. Mabel sheepishly nodded after stepping away from Pacifica. "Great, now we're going to have to start over since she's here," Mabel's uncle grumbled.

"How did you even get here, anyways?" Mabel mumbled.

 

"I'll explain later," Pacifica answered. "I'm more curious about what's going on here." She gestured to the portal, then to the man who looked like Stan, and then to Dipper, who for some reason, had narrow, black pupils in his wide, yellow eyes.

The stranger sighed and adjusted his cracked glasses. "Well, as I was saying..."

* * *

 

"Now," Stan Pines- sorry, _Ford_ Pines crossed his arms. "What the fuck is wrong with that kid?" The old man jabbed his thumb towards Bill. Stan -actual Stan, the man Mabel had spent most of her summers with - looked slightly offended. "He's possessed," Ford barked. "You let Cipher into your home!"

 

"Ford, that's one of Shermy's grandkids," Stan muttered, his head low.

"Then why the hell are his eyes like that?" The author yanked on Bill's shirt, pulling the scrawny demon closer. He turned him towards the light and scowled.

 

"I can explain!" Mabel stammered, squeezing Pacifica's hand. Pacifica, for the most part, really hadn't said anything while the older men talked. She was mostly in shock, and couldn't imagine even how Mabel felt about all of this.

 

Ford raised a brow. "Oh yeah?"

 

Mabel sucked in a deep breath. She exhaled slowly before shooting Pacifica a nervous look. Ford let go of Bill, who staggered backwards and shot the man a dirty look. The demon's gaze flickered  towards the door.

 

"There was an accident," she started, staring at her beat-up sneakers. There was a faded doodle she'd done in Sharpie on the toe. The smudged cat drawing smiled up at her. She didn't smile back. Mabel had drawn it ages ago, during the last time she'd hung out with Pacifica. "Dipper and I got really hurt. We were almost dead, Great Uncle Stanford," she sniffled.

 

The author opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. "Grunkle Stan made a deal with Bill," Mabel stammered. "He brought us back to full health or something, and in return, Bill got to possess Stan."

Ford's eyes widened, and he shot his twin a confused glance. "You let him into your body?" He whispered.

 

Stan nodded slowly. "I did," he replied.

"Up until maybe an hour ago, Stan wasn't even in his body. Except then, Dipper made another deal," Mabel croaked.

"Dipper?" Ford asked her.

"My twin brother," she murmured.

 

"You have a twin?" Ford cracked a smile. Mabel laughed a little as she nodded. "I do. But uh, yeah, so, he made a deal with Bill, and now Bill is in his body, and he's, well... Wherever people go during deals." The brunette brushed her thumb across the back of Pacifica's hand and sniffled again.

 

"And you're all just, what, okay with a fucking demon staying here?"

Bill had his brows furrowed, deep in thought. He didn't even seem to notice that Ford were talking about him.

Mabel frowned. "Great Uncle Ford," she muttered. "He's my brother!"

 

"That's not your brother!" He snapped. Mabel looked hurt. "Are you aware what this demon can do?" Ford gestured to Bill again. "He's-"

 

"In a human vessel!" Stan interrupted his niece. "Meaning he can't do shit!" The two brothers were silent, sharp scowls spread on their faces.

"That kid is fucking dangerous," Ford growled. "You don't know Cipher like I do!" The old man balled his hands into fists.

 

"What about me?" Bill suddenly looked up. He grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I cannot believe you would-”

 

"Look," Pacifica mumbled, cutting Ford off. "Bill can't do anything when he's in Dipper's body. If we-" She paused, frowning at her choice of words for a moment. "You keep an eye on him, he'll be fine. Easier to contain, even," Pacifica defended.

Ford sighed. The girl had a point. With Bill stuck in a physical vessel for now, he had no usage of his powers. He was practically mortal.

 

Mabel flashed Pacifica a warm smile. "Fine," Ford huffed, arms crossed. "Stan, we need to talk. Kids, Cipher, upstairs-"

 

They all froze when they heard voices coming from upstairs. "Pacifica," Mabel hissed. "Did you shut the door? The vending machine?"

 

Pacifica thought it over for a moment before shaking her head. There wasn't even really a door for her to shut. "The agents," Stan spat. "They're coming for us!" The Pines family all stayed quiet, nervously glimpsing about. Bill rolled his eyes and headed back towards the lab in the next room over.

 

"Where are you going?" Ford followed the demon through the sliding door. Bill rummaged through a backpack slumped against the wall before he finally pulled out a small ray-gun. "What is-"

 

Mabel, Pacifica, and Stan had all stepped into the other room. "How did you know Dipper had that in his backpack?" Mabel demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Please, Shooting Star. I've gone through your bags before," Bill scoffed in response. He shoved the gun into Ford's hands.

 

"Where did Dipper get one of these?" Ford muttered as he turned the device over in his palms. "Everyone get down, and cover your ears!" Pacifica and Mabel knelt down on the ground beside each other and both squeezed their eyes shut while clamping their hands over the sides of their heads.

 

After a few seconds had ticked by, Mabel opened her eyes. Ford was headed towards the service elevator. Quickly, she leapt up and followed him, Pacifica at her side. The three of them crammed into the small space as the doors rolled shut.

 

"When I go out there," Ford said to the teenagers beside him. "You stay in the house. Away from the windows, and not a peep, either." Mabel and Pacifica both nodded and followed him again once the doors slid back open.

 

The girls crouched down in the living room as Mabel's uncle left the house. Neither one spoke. Mabel could hear her uncle speaking with the agents out on the front lawn. Anxiously, she fumbled for Paz's hand again and hoped her friend hadn't noticed how sweaty her palms were.

 

For the record, Pacifica had noticed, but didn't mention it.

 

Stan and Bill crept out of the messy gift shop. Mabel motioned for them to shut up and sit down. The two joined them and didn't say anything until Ford returned.

 

"You three," Stan tilted his head towards the staircase. "Upstairs. Bedtime. Now." Pacifica shot Mabel a look that seemed to say, 'Can I stay the night?' and her friend responded with a quick mod. Bill didn't budge from his spot when Mabel and Pacifica left the room.

 

"That means you, Bill," Ford barked. Bill simply chuckled and leaned his head back. "You seem to forget that I'm not a child," he taunted. Stan suddenly yanked Bill to his feet and shoved him towards the stairs. "Hey!" The demon sputtered.

 

"Upstairs," Stan and Ford both snapped at the same time. Bill huffed and stomped his foot like a bratty toddler. He let out a little whine before storming up the stairs.

 

He made sure to slam Pine Tree's door shut as hard as he could.

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

Mabel Pines lied in her bed, just inches away from Pacifica. They hadn't really exchanged any more words, besides "Yeah, you can borrow some pajamas," and "I'm exhausted."

 

Paz suddenly rolled onto her side, facing Mabel. "So... Uh..." She bit her lip as she tried to gather the right words in her mouth. "You know, Mabel," Pacifica murmured. "You can tell me anything."

 

Mabel sighed and stared up at the ceiling.

 

"Yeah, I know."

 

"You could have told me about the whole... Y'know. Deal with Bill. I would have listened, gladly." Paz set her hand on top of Mabel's.

Nodding a little, Mabel spoke up a little. "I didn't tell you everything. I mean, like, with Great Uncle Ford? I w-was kind of scared to mention a few... Minor details," she admitted.

 

Pacifica glimpsed up at her. "What do you mean?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet. It was very rare for Mabel to hear her use that tone.

 

"The deal with Bill-" Mabel looked down at their hands. "Bill agreed to do more than just, y'know, bring us back to life. Well, I mean, the only way he could do that kind of..." She trailed off and glimpsed back up at Pacifica, who was nodding, as if she wanted Mabel to continue.

 

Mabel sighed. "It gave us these demon powers or something," she mumbled.

"Define demon powers?" Pacifica shot her a nervous glance.

 

"I don't even really know what it is besides my fingers sometimes lighting on fire. We haven't really found out what else Dip and I can do," Mabel huffed.

"Seriously?" Pacifica knew the Pines twins (the younger ones) often got into trouble with magical creatures and just anything paranormal or odd in general. However, the thought of Mabel having abilities like this worried her.

 

Mabel's face fell and she rolled over in bed, her back facing Pacifica. "Sorry," she muttered, staring at the wall.

"Mabel," Paz said as she set her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

 

"What?" She turned back towards Pacifica and blew a strand of her hair away from her eyes.

 

"I'm not mad, o-or scared, or anything, if that's what you think," Paz insisted, looking her friend in the eyes.

 

And that's when Mabel started to cry.

 

She buried her face in Pacifica's shoulder, choking out muffled sobs. "I'm sorry," Mabel murmured as she felt her friend's hand run through her tangled hair.

 

"It's okay, Mabel, I'm not upset," Pacifica whispered.

 

"It's been a crazy day for the both of us, and I think some rest could help you." Paz reached over and turned the lamp off with a soft click.

"It's only nine in the morning," Mabel murmured, lifting her head.

 

"You've been up for hours, though, and you look exhausted. Just a quick nap? Mabel, really." Paz shook her head and wrapped her arms around the girl.

 

"Okay," Mabel said as she shut her eyes.  She heard the door squeak open, and Waddles quickly ran into the room and jumped up onto the bed. The agents had left him in the house when they'd left, and Mabel had been worried sick up until the minute they found him curled up under the kitchen table. Somehow, the pig was completely unharmed. During the anomalies and opening of the portal, he could have easily been hurt or killed.

 

Slowly, Mabel drifted in and out of consciousness before finally falling asleep in between the pig and her best friend.

* * *

 

He weaved through the crowd, looking for his sister. Dipper was in a loud, cheering sea of people that had gathered in front of what was most likely the main stage for the Woodstick festival, an annual series of concerts that happened in town every summer. Of course, it was all imaginary.

 

Dipper was a bit surprised it had even worked. He had managed to enter Mabel's dream, and now was hoping he could pull her into a lucid one so they could talk.

 

It had all started when he had watched Mabel and Pacifica fall asleep after the events of the portal opening. He was still in shock over what had happened- the author of the journals was his great uncle? Dipper couldn't believe it. He'd, however, recalled all of the Bill-related nightmares he'd had over the past, and wondered if he could try to step inside of someone else's.

 

First, he'd tried Pacifica. His attempt was successful, but he'd been greeted with the heartbreaking image of her parents shouting at her while the faint ringing of a bell could be heard. Pacifica had cried out for them to stop, but they didn't listen. They had spit out mean insults, pointed out her insecurities and flaws, and oh god, that ringing just wouldn't stop. Dipper tried his best to change the images for her, but nothing happened. It was her dream. She would have to control it.

 

"Mabel!" He called out. Dipper had checked everywhere- on stage, backstage, the booths selling home-made crafts and foods nearby. His twin was nowhere to be found.

 

Suddenly, Dipper stumbled forward when someone had tripped him. He collided with a familiar face. Grinning, he quickly chirped, "Mabel!"

 

"Hey, Dip, enjoying the concert?" She asked, shouting over the loud music. Dipper glimpsed up at the stage. It wasn't any band he was familiar with- or any band at all, for that matter, - but rather, several cats stacked up on each other with a trench coat and fedora.

"Uh... Yeah, sure," he mumbled. Mabel's dreams were always weird- it was best to just roll with it.

 

Dipper set his hands on Mabel's shoulders. "Except you're dreaming," he told her, shaking her a bit.

 

The concert, crowd, and everything around them began to shake. The stage collapsed into the ground, and the people simply went  _poof. I_ n place of vendors and other structures nearby, tall pine trees sprouted from the ground. 

 

Mabel was suddenly gasping for air. She took a look around, trembling. "Dipper? Where are we?" She croaked, nervously turning to her brother.

 

"You're dreaming, Mabel. This is one of the only places where we can talk," Dipper told her, too tired to fully explain their situation. "It's okay."

 

Slowly, Mabel nodded, pretending she understood. The two twins stood in awkward silence for what felt like hours.

 

"So this is real." Mabel raised a brow.

"I guess, y-yeah," Dipper answered. 

Finally, Mabel rushed towards her brother and squeezed him in a tight hug. She'd caught him by surprise, and he stumbled backwards. "It's only been a few hours," he laughed. "You act like we haven't seen each other in years!"

 

"Yeah, but I was also convinced I wasn't gonna see you again!" Mabel stepped back and looked over her brother. He looked just as he always did- same messy, brown curls that were nearly impossible to tame, miscellaneous bruises and scratched from various monster hunts and journeys through the woods, and was dressed in an oversized flannel that he wore over an old t-shirt and had "borrowed" from their father last summer.

 

She couldn't help but smile. Despite her efforts to stay optimistic, Mabel had basically been convinced Dipper was gone forever, unless someone felt like making a deal with Bill. And she knew no one would dare make another trade with the demon again.

 

"Anyways, I uh... Kind of thought we should talk," Dipper said with a casual shrug. Mabel nodded and eased herself onto the ground. Her brother did the same and sat with his back pressed up against one of the trees.

 

Mabel sighed. "That was some intense junk," she mumbled before laughing quietly.

 

"I screamed," Dipper admitted, grinning. "I can't believe that the author is our great uncle! And all of that stuff with the portal and..." He trailed off and looked back at Mabel. "I honestly wasn't expecting Pacifica to show up like that, though. Total surprise."

 

Mabel nodded, recalling how Paz had just rushed into the room, kissed her -well, the top of her head, but a kiss nonetheless-, and asked if she was okay. "I'm glad she did, though. I really needed the support," she mumbled. "I'm hoping she'll stick around for a few more days, though. I don't want her to go back to New York just yet." The girl pulled her knees close to her.

 

"I'm worried about Bill," Dipper blurted. "Sorry for changing subjects, but he's in my body, and he was being weird about the portal. Like, the world didn't end like he said it would. And he definitely isn't the type of guy who would be preventing the apocalypse." He shot his sister a nervous glance.

 

Mabel lied down in the grass, balling it up in her fists. "I know," she huffed. "But he's also, like, basically mortal now. If we all keep a close eye on him, maybe we can make sure he doesn't do anything... Y'know, evil." Draping her arm over her eyes, Mabel opened her hands and let the grass she'd tugged out of the earth fall onto her hair and neck.

"Mabel, this is Bill we're talking about," Dipper grumbled.

 

"Yeah? And?" Mabel moved her arm to look at Dipper.

"Meaning he's gonna pull something on us. I don't want you to get hurt." He scooted closer to Mabel.

"If we keep an eye on him, he can't do that!" She insisted. "Dip, he's going to be okay! We're going to be okay!"

 

The twins sat, quiet in the trees.

 

"Mabel," Dipper finally spoke. "I'm getting my body back, we're getting rid of Bill, and we'll fix whatever went down with Ford and Stan. There's not going to be any 'keeping an eye on Bill.'" He paused. "Well, actually, there's going to be a lot of that, but I mean, there's going to be more to it than that." Mabel seemed confused, and he added, "I'm talking research on demons, banishment spells... Whatever it takes."

 

He felt guilty when Mabel didn't reply. Had he been too harsh? Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry-"

 

The ground began to shake and rumble. Dipper fell over onto his side  before instinctively reaching out for Mabel. She gripped his hand and they both struggled to stand up. "What's happening?" Mabel cried out as her surroundings began to blur. "Someone is waking you up, I think," Dipper answered, furrowing his brow.

 

_"Maaaabel?"_

 

"Pacifica?" Mabel squeaked. Her friend's voice had been soft, the words just barely heard. Dipper let out an annoyed grunt and turned to his twin. "Leave out some research books for me. I'll try to visit your dreams again, but it might be hard to, so, uh... Bye for now?"

 

"Dipper, wait-"

 

_"Mabel, Stan's calling us, get up!"_

* * *

 

She snapped awake, sweaty and disoriented. Pacifica had shaken her awake, and Mabel felt a pang of irritation. Now she'd have to wait a while before talking to her brother again.

 

Mabel scratched the top of Waddles' head and sat up, throwing the covers away from her. "Your uncle wants us," Pacifica mumbled.

"Mmkay," the brunette sighed as she slipped out out of her bed and shuffled towards the door.

 

However, on her way down the hallway, Mabel paused in front of the stairway to the attic. She climbed the steps and opened her brother's door.

  
The girl left four different books open on his floor, turned to pages about demons. "There you go, bro-bro," Mabel smiled before returning downstairs and meeting back up with Pacifica.


	20. Chapter 20

Sitting at the kitchen table was Mabel's great uncle Stan- Stanley, that was, not Stanford. He had set out five plates piled high with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast. However, only three people were in the room. Ford and Bill had yet to come downstairs.

 

"Breakfast at 2 in the afternoon," Mabel poked as she slid into a chair. Pacifica sat beside her and reached for the syrup placed in the middle of the table. Stan leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. He flashed the girls a warm smile before letting out a quiet sigh.

 

"You okay?" Mabel asked her grunkle through a mouthful of pancake.

Stan frowned, but replied with a quick, "Yeah, I'm just peachy." Of course, his niece was easily able to detect his sarcasm.

 

They were all quiet for a few minutes before Mabel spoke up. "Where's great uncle Ford?"

She set her fork down as Stan muttered, "Still sleeping." He sat down across from Pacifica. "I mean, he's probably exhausted. I don't know what kind of hell he's been in for the last thirty years, but it couldn't be too kind."

 

Mabel simply nodded and glimpsed over at Pacifica. "Thanks for breakfast, Mr. Pines," Paz murmured before pushing her plate away. He nodded, chewing on a piece of bacon.

 

Once the girls had both finished eating, they retreated back to Mabel's bedroom. With a groan, Mabel flopped down onto her bed, face first, and pulled the covers over herself. Pacifica sat down beside her. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

 

Mabel shrugged in response. Pacifica ran her hand through her short, messy hair. "I'm... Really sorry about all of this, Mabes," the blond murmured, rubbing her friend's shoulder. Pacifica sighed. "This has all probably been a lot to take in." The last time Pacifica had heard something so surprising, so crazy, was when she had found of her family was a fraud and her relative hadn't founded the sleepy Oregon town. That was nearly five years ago, though.

 

Just as Mabel was about to reply, the two girls both glanced over at the door. The Stans downstairs were shouting. Arguing. It was loud, and though muffled by the floorboards, both Mabel and Pacifica could make out what they were saying.

 

"You ungrateful piece of shit!"

 

"I'm ungrateful? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry that _I'm_ being ungrateful that you turned my house into some _tourist trap shithole, took my identity, and opened the fucking portal,_ Lee!"

 

Pacifica noticed when Mabel squirmed uncomfortably. "Mabes," she whispered. "Do you want to go to my house for a while?" Mabel quickly nodded and climbed out of her bed.

* * *

 

She hadn't really wanted to come home. Not yet. Not until Stan and Ford quit their bickering. However, Mrs. Northwest had said something about going to visit those relatives Pacifica was supposed to see the day before, and had sent Mabel home.

 

With a frustrated grunt, Mabel covered her ears with her pillow and muffled her mouth with the covers after she'd lied down on her bed. The girl let out a scream, and she was almost positive that she was the only one who heard it.

 

Why wasn't Dipper there with her? Why wasn't it her in the Mindscape instead of Dipper? He would be able to handle things. He could help the twins have a stable relationship again, get rid of Bill, and make everything go back to pretty much normal. However, Mabel was practically alone, and had nobody to help her with this. She was on her own, and wasn't sure what the first step she should take would be.

 

Unless she talked to Pacifica.

 

Mabel wondered if Pacifica Northwest would really even be interested in assisting her with this whole disaster. She sighed and decided she'd text the girl later. Maybe invite her over to look at those banishment spells Dipper had mentioned in her dream. Yeah, she thought. We'll figure this mess out together.

  


Slowly, Mabel removed the pillow from around her head and tossed it aside. She jumped when she saw someone leaning in the doorway. _Dipper!_

 

She quickly remembered that it wasn't Dipper. It was just Bill, but of course, in Dipper's body. To Mabel's surprise, he'd changed into an old t-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans. "You seem stressed, Shooting Star," he muttered. "Wanna tell me what that's all about?"

 

"You know why I'm stressed," she grumbled, arms crossed. "Get out of my room." Bill had already stepped through the doorway and was making his way towards her bed. The demon flopped down on her bean bag chair and chuckled.

"Comfy," he murmured, patting the seat. Mabel rolled her eyes at him and leaned back against her headboard.

 

Bill narrowed his eyes. "I know you've been talking to Pine Tree."

Mabel shrugged in response. "Yeah? And your point is?" She raised a brow.

"The point is that you aren't supposed to be talking to Pine Tree!" He snapped, waving his hands about.

 

"He's my brother, trapped in, what, another dimension or something? I think I'm allowed to talk to him, Bill!" Mabel barked back.

"I know what you two are trying to do, and it's not going to work. I'm keeping this vessel for as long as I need it. I've got big plans, and I'm not letting two teenage punks get in the way!"

 

Mabel let out an irritated groan. "Again with the 'big plans', Bill? You've been saying that for years, and you haven't done shit!" She balled she sheets up in her hands.

"You'll see, Shooting Star," Bill smirked before rising to his feet. "You'll see."

 

As Bill left the room, Mabel made some sort of noise- a mix between a grunt and a scream- and failed to realize that she was burning more holes in her covers.

 


	21. Chapter 21

She absolutely, positively _hated_ the feeling of Dipper shaking her out of her regular dreams and into ones that were lucid.

 

Mabel set her hand on the rough bark of a tall tree and bent over, trying to catch her breath. It was always difficult to breathe at first, and she was always a bit frazzled or disoriented when it happened. The girl glimpsed up at her brother, who shot her a nervous look.

 

"You okay?" Dipper asked her, frowning a little. She nodded reassuringly and stood up straighter.

"I'm okay," Mabel told him as she carefully sat in her usual spot in the grass. This was the third dream in a row Dipper had visited.

 

It was now Thursday night. Stanley and Stanford hardly spoke with each other, and when they did, they were bickering about the past. Bill tended to stay out of things. Often, Mabel would find the demon locked away in Dipper's room. She wasn't sure what he was doing up there, but figured that he wasn't doing much harm, so she let him be.

 

"So I was thinking of asking Pacifica to help us with the whole banishing Bill business," Mabel shrugged. Dipper leaned back, his chin tilted up towards the overcast sky.

"Maybe," he mumbled back. "Pacifica doesn't seem like the type to want to help people in general." At that, Mabel let out an irritated huff.

 

"Why do you guys hate each other so much?" Mabel murmured, hanging her head.

 

"What?" Dipper sat up better and furrowed his brow. "We don't hate each other, Mab-"

She interrupted. "Well you two certainly don't get along very well!" Mabel snapped.

"Mabel, trust me. Okay, yeah, Pacifica Northwest is probably one of the worst people I've ever met, but-" Dipper started, but paused when his slightly-older sister rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms.

"It wouldn't kill you two to be kind to each other," she grumbled.

"Pacifica used to be so bitchy to you! I just don't want you to get hurt like you did before," Dipper said, his voice soft.

Mabel glimpsed up at him. "Dipper, she's not like that anymore. I promise! She's-" She smiled a bit. "She's nice to me. She makes me happy! And besides, it's not always up to you to be so... So protective of me! I'm the older twin, and even then, I'm almost 18. I think I can handle my own relationships."

 

After a moment, Dipper finally muttered, "Fine. I'll be nicer to her."

 

"I appreciate it," Mabel replied as she pulled her knees close to her chest. "Anyways, did you find anything good in those books I left out? I've been trying to come by every hour to change the pages, but it's hard when Bill's around." Once the demon had started shutting himself away in Dipper's room, Mabel had to move the resources up to the roof. Dipper and Mabel both knew that Bill would be furious if he found out they were still trying to find a way to get rid of him.

 

"Not yet," Dipper sighed. "Too hard to really get any studying done when I can't turn the pages enough." He shot her a sorry look, but she waved dismissively.

"It's not a big deal. But what if Paz and I helped you?" Mabel grinned at her new idea.

"How so?"

 

She ran her hand through her messy tangles. "We'll meet up tomorrow, read through them, and write down notes for you on the important junk!" Mabel punched Dipper's arm.

"I-I guess," Dipper mumbled. "If Pacifica's up for it."

 

"Great!" Mabel beamed. "You could come with us, too, if you want. I mean, we won't like, see you or hear you, but just follow us to wherever we go! It would probably beat sitting around here anyways."

Dipper laughed at his twin's enthusiasm. "Sounds good," he nodded.

* * *

 

"I don't know if we're gonna be able to get through all of these, Mabes," Pacifica grunted as she set a thick stack of various journals and books crammed with demon lore down in the grass. The two girls had stopped by at the library and had rummaged through the shelves. They'd checked out whatever they'd deemed useful.

"We've got all afternoon," Mabel laughed.

 

Mabel had brought a picnic basket filled with cookies and sandwiches as well, but was more eager to get started on the studying. Together, the girls had hiked up to the cliffs near the edge of town. Up there, most of Gravity Falls was visible. It was quiet. Peaceful. The best part was that Bill wouldn't be able to find them there.

 

The brunette lied down on her stomach, using the backpack nestled underneath her stomach as a cushion. Pacifica sat beside her, a spiral notebook and pen sitting in her lap. "You read this one," Mabel said as she slid a book titled _The Encyclopedia of Demonology and Demons_ over to Pacifica. "And I'll read this one." She turned the cover on _Alternative Spirituality_ and chewed on the end of her pen.

 

After ten minutes had passed, Pacifica muttered, "I'm sorry, but this is really boring."

 

Mabel sighed and glimpsed down at her notepad. Only a few phrases had been scribbled out, and they weren't very helpful. She'd never been very good with traditional note taking and studying. Usually, Dipper would make flash cards and quiz her. Too bad he couldn't do that now.

 

"Yeah, a little bit," she said quietly. Pacifica reached into the picnic basket and passed a neatly-wrapped sandwich over to Mabel. "Snack break?" She smiled. Mabel sat up and smiled back before removing the plastic around the food. "Did you find anything good?" The Pines girl asked through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly.

 

Pacifica shook her head. "Not yet. It's mostly talking about like, old-timey demons I guess. I might skim the first few chapters," she shrugged.

Mabel nodded and took another bite. "Maybe we should leave a book out for Dipper. He can't really turn the pages, but I mean, he could read, too," she suggested.

 

 _How do you know Dipper's even here?_ Pacifica thought, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to ruin Mabel's positive attitude. Instead, she removed a book from the stack and carefully lied it down in the grass. After turning to a yellowing page, she heard Mabel call out, "There you go, Dippin' Dots!"

 

Pacifica giggled and took a bite out of one of the cookies. She leaned back on her elbows, glimpsing around at the beautiful Oregon scenery. Of course, she would never admit it, but she had almost kind of missed the dumb town.

 

Too bad she had to go back to New York the day after next.

 

Mabel had decided they would spend Pacifica's last night in Gravity Falls at dinner, and then have a sleepover at the Mystery Shack. Pacifica had also promised to help Mabel and Dipper with their research while she was gone by providing new information and reading sources. However, she didn't really want to go home yet. Her visit had felt short, and now with the Pines twins needing her, it didn't seem fair to return to the other side of the country.

 

There's no use thinking about it like that, Pacifica told herself. She finished her cookie and turned her attention back towards the book sitting in front of her. "Back to work!" Mabel chimed, dusting the breadcrumbs off of her hands.

"Round two," Paz smiled.

* * *

 

The bedroom door creaked open.

 

Shooting Star didn't seem to notice.

 

Bill crept into the room, wincing at every squeak and groan the floorboards made underneath him. Quickly, he glimpsed around the room. The room was dimly lit by the twinkling fairy lights Shooting Star had hung on the walls, but he still struggled to see. _Stupid Pine Tree needs glasses,_ he thought.

 

His eyes widened at the sight of the brightly colored backpack slumped over by the girl's desk. Bill took a shaky, slow step towards the table. He froze when the pig lifted his head and snorted once.

 

The demon shot Waddles a glare, as if trying to say, _Wake her up and I'll turn you into a fresh plate of bacon._ Bill figured it worked, because the pig quickly burrowed closer to Mabel, curling up at her side. _Now,_ Bill thought. _Time to get those books._

 

Bill wiggled his fingers before fumbling with the star-shaped zipper. He tried to keep it quiet as he unzipped the backpack. Cautiously, Bill removed the books from their place and tucked them under his arm. The demon zipped everything back up.

 

Shooting Star was still asleep when he left the room.

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning- this chapter is a bit graphic!
> 
> Pacifica's throat is burned.

"Bill!"

 

Mabel clenched and unclenched her fists as she stormed through the house, checking every room for the demon. He wasn't in Dipper's room, Stan's room, the living room, or kitchen. Feeling the familiar  sensation of blue flames lighting in her hands, Mabel stomped into the gift shop downstairs.

 

The Mystery Shack hadn't had any new visitors in weeks. Due to the effects of the gravity anomalies that took place during the portal's opening, most of the town had been damaged. Mabel had heard a few townsfolk pass it off as some sort of awful storm, or maybe an earthquake. Some people had blamed it on global warming. Roads and buildings were in the process of being repaired, and it seemed as if most residents just wanted to forget about the whole fiasco.

 

Bill was leaned back against the checkout counter, clearly thinking about something. Mabel huffed as she made her way over to him, thankful that Stan had helped her clean up the shuddered glass and fallen support beams the other day. Her bare feet appreciated it. The girl glared at Bill.

 

"Not now, Shooting Star, I'm busy."

 

Mabel let out an irritated squawk. "You're busy? Yeah, I'm busy, too! Busy trying to figure out what happened to my library books!" She snapped, the flames on her fingertips wiggling and waving a bit.

"Library books?" Bill seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in and raised a brow.

 

"Library books!" Mabel repeated. "I know you took them."

Bill simply shook his head. "Shooting Star, I have literally no idea what you're talking about," he said, holding his palms up in defense.

The fire surrounding Mabel's hands died. "What?"

 

He shrugged. "You heard me. I don't have any library books. I didn't even know you went to the library," Bill told her. Mabel let out a frustrated huff at that. "Besides, why would I take your stupid books, anyways?"

 

Mabel shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She knew Bill didn't want them researching demons, or anything that would be useful in getting rid of them. If she told him that she suspected him of swiping her demonology guides, he would only be even more upset, and the whole situation would be even worse. "I guess you're right," she grumbled. "Sorry."

 

The girl slinked away without saying another word. Bill let out a relieved sigh before he crouched down beside the old counter. His hands felt for the stack of books he'd hidden away. Bill had managed to grab three leather journals, a few encyclopedias and guides about demons, and one notebook with a page full of cloud doodles and notes on types of demons.

* * *

 

"Mabel!" Dipper shook his sister's shoulders. The girl sucked in a deep breath and glanced around.

"Dip?" She stammered. "What's up?"

 

Had she dozed off? Last she remembered, Mabel was sitting in the old recliner in the living room, browsing articles about demonic possession on her laptop. "Mabel, listen to me, you need to find Bill! He's got your books, a-and the journals-"

 

"What?" Mabel shot Dipper a confused look.

"Bill is going to destroy all of the stuff we could use to get rid of him! He's in the woods right now!" Her brother was talking too fast, and Mabel could hardly understand him.

"I-" She squinted at him.

"Call Pacifica. Go look for Bill in the woods. He headed out the back door, following the path up to the cliffs! Where we were yesterday!"

 

Mabel groaned. Her dinner date with Pacifica was in an hour. She hated to ruin their plans like this.

 

The image of her brother and the rest of her dream faded.

* * *

 

She'd only been awake for half an hour, and hated to say it, but almost wished her brother hadn't messed with her dreams. Then she wouldn't be dashing up a steep hill, listening to Pacifica complain about the fact that they would be late for dinner.

 

"We're almost to the top, Mabel," Pacifica called out. "Are you sure he's up there?"

 

"Positive!" Mabel shouted back. That was a lie, but it wasn't like she was just going to tell Pacifica that. They had run all this way. Bill had to be up in the clearing. If he wasn't, they would have wasted precious time and he would have already gotten his chance to destroy the journals and books.

 

Her feet pounded against the gravel trail. She needed to get to the end of it. She needed to make sure Bill hadn't ruined everything yet again.

 

Pacifica and Mabel arrived at the clearing, their hair frizzy and out of place, their clothes and skin drenched in sweat. Knelt down in the grass next to a pile of ashes and a short stack of books was Bill Cipher.

 

"Bill, stop!" Mabel cried as she rushed forward. Bill turned around to face her.

"Shooting Star? Who told you-" He was interrupted by Pacifica suddenly tackling him and pinning him to the ground. The girl was strong, he'd have to give her that. Of course, he remembered, the Northwests had provided her top-notch training in several sports. Pacifica was an athlete.

 

"What did he burn?" Pacifica yelled to Mabel, who was rummaging through the remaining books.

"Two library books. The first journal."

 

Her heart sank. Dipper and Ford would be so upset to learn that all of the work the author had done so long ago was gone, probably for good. She didn't have much time to think about it, however, because out of the corner of her eye, she watched Bill grip his bony hands around Pacifica's neck.

 

The blond let out a yelp as Bill burned her flesh. The smell was awful, making Mabel's stomach do somersaults. "Paz!" She shrieked, crawling to her friend's side. Pacifica had one hand clamped down over her wound, the other balled up at her side. She was lying flat on her back. Hot tears rolled down her smooth cheeks, causing her makeup to run and smear everywhere.

 

"You'll be okay, we'll get you to a hospital or something-" Mabel glimpsed back at Bill, who held up the second journal. What was she supposed to do? Get the journals away from Bill? Let him damage the books while she comforted Pacifica? For a moment, she considered pushing him over the cliff's edge, but then she remembered that he was still in Dipper's body. She'd kill her brother.

 

Mabel rose to her feet, knees wobbling. Bill had already gotten to work, blue flames eating away at the leathery cover of the second journal. She suddenly rushed forward, trying to pry it away from him. The two started shoving each other back and forth, their fingers gripping the old book as tight as they could.

 

Bill pushed her backwards as hard as he could, an annoyed grunt escaping his lips. Mabel stumbled back, trying to regain her balance. However, her attempt failed, and she slipped on the grass.

 

The Shooting Star fell over, her head colliding with a boulder near the edge of the clearing. She groaned. Her vision was fuzzy when she opened her eyes.

 

Muffled voices surrounded her. Pacifica was up again, trying to fight against Bill. Mabel needed to get back up. She needed to help Pacifica.

 

Instead, she blacked out.

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

The grey floorboards groaned underneath Mabel as she sat up. "Where-" she mumbled, confused. This didn't exactly feel like a dream, but her surroundings had that same dull appearance her recent dreams with Dipper did. Cautiously, Mabel rose to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her shorts.

 

"Hello?" Mabel called out. The brunette was alone in a long hallway, one that twisted and curved at sharp angles. _Where am I?_ She didn't remember going anywhere that looked like this. Suddenly, Mabel recalled the events of the past hour. Rushing to stop Bill. Watching Pacifica get injured. Slamming her head onto the rocks and everything going dark.

 

But where was she now? Mabel brushed her palms against the walls and frowned. She tried to think of the word for the place. It felt so familiar to her.

 

_Mindscape._

 

Not the actual dimension demons resided in, but her own mind. She furrowed her brow. Why was she there? Mabel leaned against the peeling wallpaper and chewed her lip in thought.

 

Was it because of her new demon powers?

 

Mabel supposed it was possible that she could have entered her own Mindscape at some point. She had only really been in one once, and that was her uncle's. Of course, back then, they were trying to prevent Bill from helping local celebrity Gideon Gleeful and succeed in getting the code to Stan's safe.  Honestly, she didn't really remember too much from that day. She'd tried to forget a lot of it, actually, and that was something she rarely did.

 

How was she even supposed to leave this place? Pacifica and Dipper could be in trouble that very moment, and she was trapped in her own mind. Mabel furrowed her brow in thought. She just wished she could remember how they'd all left Stan's Mindscape.

 

_Remember! That's it!_

 

Mabel glimpsed around the hall. If she could access the area labeled with her memories, she'd be able to find exactly what she needed. That wouldn't be too hard, right? Then again, she was almost 18 years old now, and tended to be a very sentimental person. There would be thousands of doors for her to open and look through.

 

She couldn't give up. Not now. She needed to get out and make sure Bill didn't hurt Pacifica, the journals, or anyone else she cared about. Mabel shook her hands, trying to clear away any negative thoughts. She could do this. She could do this. Find the memory, get out of her own head, and hopefully, manage to get the books away from Bill.

 

After a few minutes of wandering, Mabel had entered another hallway, one marked with a pink banner reading "MABEL'S MEMORIES, YO!!!" Must be it, she thought to herself as she approached the first door she could find. The girl gripped the knob and pulled it back.

 

One of her earliest memories played out before her. Mabel watched, a bit curious. It wasn't from her perspective, but rather, played out like a movie, one where she and Dipper were the actors and their childhood home was the set. She couldn't be much older than 2 or 3.

* * *

 

"Dip!" Mabel yelled -not actual Mabel, but younger Mabel- as she chased her brother around the coffee table. The two twins laughed as Dipper tottered away from her.

* * *

 

She moved away from it. "Newer memories are going to be farther down," Mabel murmured as she passed down the hall, hearing miscellaneous noises and seeing flashes of color peek out from the cracks underneath the doors. Finally, she decided to stop and check to see where she was.

* * *

The Sweet 16 party that the twins had two years ago was shown. Mabel could still remember it well. The details were more clear to her than the last memory she'd viewed. The smells and sounds were more defined, and she recognized the scents of birthday cake and cheap perfume, the high, light voice of the lead singer of her favorite band trailing out of the speakers.

 

Mabel had managed to get Pacifica to fly out for the party, and Dipper had gotten a few of his internet friends from a few states over to make the 7-hour drive to Piedmont to stay for the weekend. As she leaned back against the wall, feeling the smooth fabric of her new dress brush against her legs, Mabel looked down at her wrist. For her birthday, Pacifica had given her a thin -and probably expensive- silver bracelet. A charm in the shape of half of a heart dangled from it, bumping her palm every time her hands rested at her sides. 

It was the perfect amount of cheesy and sweet.

* * *

Too far forward, she thought as she shut the door. Mabel turned back towards the way she'd come from and pulled on another doorknob.

* * *

Mabel was suddenly greeted with the sounds of her own singing and bright party lights. Ah yes, the Scary-oke party they had thrown. Unfortunately, everything that night had gone horribly. Dipper had raised the dead, zombies had flooded the area surrounding the Mystery Shack, and the entire situation had been stressful. As she thought about this, more doors around her swung open.

 

"Mabel, we can't just tell Stan about this journal!" The blacklight Mabel's brother held in his hands glowed brightly, illuminating their faces in their dark bedroom.

"Why? He deserves to know," she insisted. "We were already going to tell him that one time!" Mabel shot Dipper a worried look. The boy let out a frustrated huff and glimpsed down at the journal, which was sitting wide-open on the floor.

 

"Take that, you undead jerks!" They heard their great uncle call from downstairs. He would be up in the attic any minute.

"Dipper, look!" Mabel grabbed his wrist and tugged it towards the journal. Under the light, the twins could now see and read new text.

"Invisible ink?" Dipper murmured, eyes wide.

"Zombies do have a weakness!" She punched his arm.

 

By the time Stan had come upstairs, the twins had rushed towards him, babbling about how Dipper had recently read that you could defeat zombies with a perfect three-part harmony. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth. After a few minutes of persuasion, they managed to get Stan to agree to sing a tacky pop song out on the roof.

* * *

The doors all closed at once.

  
She huffed. Mabel was getting closer to the door she needed, she could feel it. The girl turned another corner to find one open door. She grinned and dashed towards it, eager to get the hell out of the Mindscape.

 

Once she'd viewed the brief snippet of what had happened almost six years ago, Mabel closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall.  _Easy enough,_  she thought.  _I just need to imagine a way out of here._

 

There was suddenly a round opening in front of her, swirling with color and glow. Mabel clapped her hands excitedly, proud of her work. She stepped towards it and sucked in a nervous breath. "Here we go," she whispered.

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

Oinking. Snuffling.

 

With a groan, Mabel opened her eyes, shifting slightly. She recognized the familiar sight of her bedroom and felt something warm next to her. She wasn’t in the Mindscape anymore. Pacifica was asleep, her arms draped over Mabel's waist. Waddles trotting excitedly around the space. "Paz?" The brunette carefully nudged her shoulder as she sat up.

 

Mabel moved a hand to her temple and sucked in a deep breath. She felt bandages sticking out from under her hair. Pacifica lifted her head in one swift motion, squinting up at her friend. "Mabel!" She let go of her friend and stumbled out of bed.

"Paz?" Mabel repeated, frowning.

 

Pacifica headed out of the room, leaving Mabel alone with her pig. Waddles curled up at the end of the bed, nestled in the blankets. A moment later, Pacifica returned, Stan and Ford in tow.

 

"She just woke up," Pacifica yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Stan asked his niece after sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Head hurts," Mabel murmured in response. She glanced up at her other uncle, who stood awkwardly in the doorway.

 

Pacifica had her neck wrapped up in gauze and still looked exhausted from before. Mabel felt a pang of guilt. She was the one who had dragged her friend into the whole disaster up by the cliffs. "You did kind of slam your head onto some rocks," Pacifica replied, laughing nervously

 

"Can someone fill me in here?" Mabel glanced between Pacifica, Stan, and Ford. Both of her uncles shot each other nervous looks, but Pacifica sighed and climbed back into her spot in the blankets.

"Bill was destroying our books," she started.

 

Mabel nodded. "I remember that part, and everything up to that, but what happened after I bonked my head?" She raised a hand and pressed it to her wound.

 

"We got lucky," Pacifica told her with a slight smile.

"Ford was still asleep after being up all night, working on a project," Stan interjected, laughing.

Ford let out a quiet sigh and started to explain. "Your brother- he's a nice young man, and I think I prefer him when he's not possessed by Bill. Anyways, he was in my dream. Introduced himself, lots of excited squealing, but he said you and Pacifica were both in danger, and that Lee and I needed to come help you."

 

Mabel giggled, but quieted down. "So like, your uncles just showed up and kind of beat the shit out of Bill," Pacifica snorted. "They brought the three of us home, that was that," she shrugged, pressing closer to Mabel.

"Where's Bill?" Mabel asked, her voice suddenly a lot softer.

 

 _Beat the shit out of Bill?_ She thought. It may have been Bill in control, but it was still her brother's body. Was he- it? Mabel cared more about the body than Bill- alright?

 

"Still out cold. Dipper's room," Stan muttered. The four of them didn't speak for a few moments.

 

"I'm sorry about the journal," Mabel apologized, her gaze meeting Ford's.

"It's not a big deal," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "It was just old research. Basic information. I think your brother was more upset about it than me, honestly," he laughed before sighing.

 

Mabel glanced out the window, peeking through her colorful curtains. It was dark out, probably really early in the morning. "Pacifica!" She suddenly hissed. "Your flight's in a few hours!"

The blond elbowed her friend excitedly. "I'm actually going to be staying until the end of the summer," Pacifica grinned. "Stan talked to my family about it already."

 

"Look, we can talk about all of this in the morning. You girls need some rest still," Stan told them before reaching over and ruffling Mabel's hair.

"Good night," Ford murmured before turning and leaving the room. Stan followed.

 

Pacifica lied down on her back next to Mabel, her hands resting on her chest. "Mabel?" She whispered, glancing over at the brunette.

 

"Yeah, Paz?" Mabel curled up next to her, tugging at the blankets.

"I'm really sorry about what happened back there," Pacifica mumbled. "T-the whole thing was..." She shook her head.

"It's not your fault," Mabel whispered, taking one of Pacifica's hands. "It's okay, really. We're both okay, Di- Bill's okay. We just need to try harder with our studying," she replied in an attempt to be reassuring.

 

The blonde shot Mabel a sad look. "Y-you see, that's the thing, Mabes," she croaked. "I don't think we're going to be able to get Dipper back." Pacifica closed her eyes and rubbed at them with her free hand.

"Paz," Mabel shook her head. "If we stay positive-"

 

"Mabel!" Pacifica rolled over to face her friend and looked her in the eyes. "We both got really hurt because of this research business. I-I don't want to see it happen again," she murmured. Mabel realized Pacifica was tearing up.

"P-Paz, it's okay, d-don't cry!" She wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her into a tight hug.

 

They stayed like that for a while, Pacifica choking out quiet sobs into Mabel's shoulder.

 

"I'm sorry a-about that," Pacifica stammered after lifting her head. "I just-"

"I get it," Mabel murmured, forcing a quick smile.

"Mabel, I think I kind of... Well, I've never said this, but I-"

 

A large thud came from upstairs.

 

The girls scrambled out of the bed and rushed up to the attic after shooting each other nervous looks. Mabel realized that the door to Dipper's room was locked. Stan probably had the key. Pacifica jumped back as there was another thud against the door, followed by a frustrated cry.

 

"Bill!" Mabel pressed up against the door, hoping to maybe talk to the demon.

"Get me out of here, Shooting Star!" He shouted back before another slam hit the door.

"I-I can't!" She yelled back as she stood closer to Pacifica. "Mabes, m-maybe we should get your uncles-"

 

"NO!"

 

Mabel swallowed nervously and fumbled for Pacifica's hand. "Have you seen what they did to Pine Tree's body? Fuck no, I'm not letting them near me again!" Bill growled.

"I'm s-sorry?" Mabel squeaked.

"Bill, you wouldn't have to worry about this if you left Dipper's body alone!" Pacifica snapped. "You could be back doing whatever demonic stuff you did before this shitstorm!" She squeezed Mabel's hand tight.

 

"You don't understand! Stupid humans," they heard Bill grumble.  "I need this vessel for important stuff, and you're all getting in my way! That's the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing."

Mabel raised a brow. _The opposite of what we're supposed to be doing?_

 

Pacifica hid behind Mabel when Bill slammed something against the door. Whatever it was, it sounded heavy, and could probably break the door out of the frame if he kept trying at it. "I'm going to get out of here!" Bill grunted.

 

"Paz, go get Stan," Mabel whispered. Her friend nodded before making her way down the rickety steps.

 

"Shooting Star," Bill murmured.

"Y-yeah?" Mabel answered worriedly.

"I don't think you realize this, but something big is going to happen," he said, his voice soft, quiet. She'd never really heard him speak like that. "Everything is going to change. I need you, the lla-Pacifica. Stan, Ford. You're important. I need you all to work along with me."

 

"I'm not going to work with you," Mabel bit, leaning back against her brother's door. Bill went quiet, and so did she.

 

When Stan and Ford had trudged up the staircase, Pacifica leading the way, Bill had quit slamming and knocking things into the wall. Both Stan and his brother told Bill, Mabel, and Pacifica to all go back to bed and let them "get some goddamned rest."

  
However, Mabel lied awake for the remainder of the night, thinking about what Bill had said to her.


	25. Chapter 25

Light seeped through the old windows in the attic, casting shadows onto the wooden walls. Mabel crept towards the bedroom as quietly as she could, worried about her uncles or Pacifica waking up. It was early in the morning, around six, and she needed to talk to Bill.

 

Her knuckles rapped against the door. Stan had quit locking Bill in the room two days ago, but the demon wasn't allowed to leave it unless someone granted him permission. For some odd reason, Bill seemed completely okay with this now. Mabel had no idea why.

 

There was a groan, followed by the sound of Bill getting up and trudging towards the door. He pulled it open to gave Mabel. "Shooting Star, you're interrupting something important," Bill muttered, looking down at the girl.

"Y-yeah, I figured you were busy, but I need to talk to you." Mabel tugged at the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

 

She assumed Bill retreating back to the desk while leaving the door open was an invitation in, and she awkwardly stepped into her brother's room. Mabel crossed her arms and stepped over a stack of books, trying to weave her way over to Bill. "So, uh," she mumbled. "What'cha been up to?"

 

Bill responded with a grunt, scribbling something onto a paper. Mabel peeked over his shoulder, curious about his work. On the sheet, she saw an ink drawing of a wheel. In the center was what looked like Bill's demon form, a triangle with one eye and a top hat. Surrounding him were small symbols, and Mabel realized she recognized some of them. Specifically, a pine tree, a shooting star, a hand, and whatever the odd shape on her uncle's fez was.

 

"What's that?" She poked the edge of the paper, causing Bill to shoot her a dirty look.

"I'm not telling," he glared before shifting so Mabel could no longer look over his shoulders.

"How come?" She murmured sadly, scrunching her face up in a pout.

"Plans for something. If you aren't going to agree to help me like I asked you to the other day, you don't get to know," he answered.

 

Mabel rocked back and forth on her toes, thinking. That was actually what she'd wanted to discuss with him. "But that's what I was gonna tell you!" She nudged his side before sighing. "I'll help you."

 

Bill grinned and spun his chair around, now facing her. "Well, Shooting Star, I have to spare some of the details for now, but basically, I'm going to change this town for the better," he chimed. "But it's going to take too long if I do it by myself. Basically, I'm asking for you to do a few errands for me."

Mabel raised a brow and sat on the edge of the bed. "Go on," she murmured.

 

"I need to collect the items on this paper," Bill told her, gesturing to a notebook. "When I have them all, the wheel will be complete, and I'll be able to access extraordinary powers that will let me properly execute my plans." Mabel didn't like the sound of Bill executing anything, but she simply nodded and waited for him to continue. "I've got one of the journals, I've got the pair of glasses, the pine tree hat, and an ice bag. But no, I need everything else. Shooting Star, these symbols represent different things in town. People that lived, places that were, et cetera. If I'm right, I'll be able to- er, do that thing."

 

Mabel squirmed. "S-so you just need me to get you some items, and you'll... Make the town better?" She mumbled.

"The only reason why I needed a stupid fleshbag in the first place. And I only wanted to shut down that portal was because, well, your uncle Ford isn't exactly the greatest man. He wouldn't agree with what we're doing here. He wants Gravity Falls to stay a dangerous little corner where people get hurt, Shooting Star. I'm going to make it safer. Improve it." Bill glanced up at Mabel.

 

She chewed on a strand of hair. "I'll help you if-" Mabel spit out her curls. "You agree to give Dipper his body back as soon as this is over." She shot the demon a stern look.

"Alright, I'll give Pine Tree his stupid sack of skin and bones back, but you can't tell a single soul about our little project here. Got it?" Bill leaned forward, a sly grin spread on his face.

 

"Got it."

 

Bill stuck his hand out towards the teen. "Let's shake on it, then," he purred. Mabel hesitated before clamping her hand down in his. "It's a deal!" He exclaimed before Mabel let go. "Take this list. It has the symbols and where you could find them in town. It's hard for me to get them since I'm not really allowed to leave the house, but since I've got you..."

 

She left the room after mumbling out that she was going back to sleep for a bit. With the list tucked in the pocket of her hoodie, Mabel cuddled back up between Pacifica and Waddles.

* * *

"Dipper!" Mabel tackled her twin in a bear hug, excited to see him. Dipper hugged her back, but let go after a few seconds. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in my dreams in like, three days now!" She planted her hands on her hips.

 

"Mabel, you wouldn't believe it! I've been visiting Ford's dreams and watching him work in the basement! He's so amazing and cool and smart and-"

"Yeah, but I was worried sick about you!" Mabel huffed. "You could have told me you were gonna be busy or something," she mumbled, rolling up her sleeves.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

 

She hung her head. "Ah, it's alright, I guess. By the way-" Mabel looked up at Dipper through her bangs. "Thanks for saving my butt back there. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't gotten Stan and Ford."

"Don't get all mushy and emotional on me now, Mabes," Dipper poked. He ruffled her hair, causing her to stick her tongue out at him. 

 

"So what's it like talkin' to Ford? I haven't gotten to see much of him," Mabel asked after lying down in the grass.

Dipper sat beside her and shrugged. "Really cool I guess? I can't believe he's our uncle. All of this was right under our noses the whole time!" He started babbling about how the author was going to help Mabel and Pacifica with their research on demons so Dipper could get his body back.

 

"Really?" Mabel smiled a little, but it faded. She recalled her conversation with Pacifica, and how she said it was best to give the constant studying and worrying a rest. "Paz kinda backed out on it for now, so it's been just me, and I've been a little busy these past few days..." The girl knew she'd also be busy for a while, collecting items for Bill.

 

Dipper stretched out on his back. "Yeah! He seemed super stoked. You should talk to him about it when you wake up," he beamed.

"Dipper?" Mabel frowned, staring up at the cloudy sky above them. "Can I tell you something?" She closed her eyes.

 

"Of course," Dipper replied.

 

When Mabel opened her mouth to speak, she furrowed her brow. Nothing came out. _I made a deal with Bill,_ she tried to say.

 

Dipper raised a brow. "You okay?" He frowned. Mabel quickly nodded, not wanting to worry him, and tried to talk once more. What was happening?

 

A wave of dread washed over Mabel as she realized why she couldn't tell her brother about the deal. _You can't tell a single soul about our little project here._ Dipper lacked a body, but he was still a soul. It also meant she couldn't tell Pacifica, Stan, Ford, or anyone else. "Never mind," Mabel laughed nervously. "I was gonna say-uh-" She racked her mind, trying to think.

 

"Gonna say what?" Dipper sat up better, propped up on his elbows.

"Your favorite person on that makeup show you like lost the last challenge," she stammered. "She went home." It technically wasn't a lie- Deandra, a contestant on a sci-fi special effects makeup show Dipper enjoyed called _Make Off_ hadn't impressed the judges with her werewolf zombie getup, and had been sent home.

  


"Damn," Dipper shook his head.

 

Mabel let out a quiet sigh. She just needed to get those items for Bill, and then everything would go back to normal.

  
Right?


	26. Chapter 26

It was hard for Mabel to sneak around and gather up the items she needed to collect for the deal with Bill. Pacifica had been mostly hanging around at the shack, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Mabel before they were busy with college life, and it was difficult to avoid questions about what she was up to.

 

She clutched the old fez to her chest as she dashed up the stairs. Pacifica was in the shower, Stan was at the grocery store, and Ford was working on research -probably with Dipper- in the basement. It was the perfect opportunity for Mabel to sneak into Stan's room and swipe the fez he used to wear so often.

 

Mabel knocked twice on Dipper's door before entering. Bill was sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. "I told you to stop staying up so late," she huffed under her breath. Since they'd made the deal, Mabel often heard what she assumed to be pacing, and maybe the occasional mutter or frustrated grunt through the floorboards. She didn't know exactly what was happening, but she was tired of him sleeping in until three in the afternoon.

 

Tugging open the closet door, Mabel tossed the hat into the pile of other collected belongings. So far, they had Dipper's hat, a pair of glasses, the second journal, a question-mark printed t-shirt from the gift shop, an emptied ice bag, one of Mabel's childhood sweaters with a shooting star on it, and now, Stanley's fez. Just as she closed the door, Mabel heard Pacifica clear her throat.

 

"What are you doing up here?" Pacifica leaned in the doorway, arms crossed. Her hair was wrapped up in an old towel, and she was wearing shorts and a shirt that read "I SAW A COOL STUMP AT THE MYSTERY SHACK" tucked into them. Mabel thought it was funny at first, how casual the girl had been dressing as of late.

 

Had she seen Mabel hide the hat? "Just putting away some of Dip's laundry!" She lied before crossing over to the other side of the room.

Pacifica seemed uneasy, but didn't mention anything suspicious. "Okay then," she mumbled.

"I was also gonna ask you, did you wanna go to to the mall today?" Mabel chirped on her way out the door.

 

This whole deal with a demon thing was a lot more stressful than Mabel had expected it to be.

* * *

"They've gotta have it," Mabel muttered, digging through a clearance bin.

"Mabel, what are we doing in here? We're not 13 year olds," Pacifica grumbled, noticing that almost everyone else in the store "Edgy on Purpose" was at least a few years younger than them.

"Just looking for something for Bill. He uh-" She struggled as she tried to come up with an excuse. "Saw a hoodie on the website. Thought I'd buy it for him," the girl nodded.

 

Pacifica crossed her arms. "Why would you get him something nice? He's kind of a huge piece of shit," she huffed.

Mabel shrugged. "Wanted to get on his good side," she mumbled before pulling out a black hoodie. "Aha!" The girl held it in the light so Pacifica could get a better look.

 

That hoodie was one of the tackiest things Pacifica had ever seen. Of course, she didn't mention that. It had a bleeding heart on the front with little black stitches printed on. Thumb holes had been cut in the sleeves. It was a disaster.

 

"He'll love it," Pacifica said with a forced smile. "Now let's get out of here." Mabel draped the hoodie over her arm and lead the way to the checkout.

 

Mabel had assumed the hoodie represented a boy who used to hang around Mystery Shack employee Wendy Corduroy named Robbie Valentino. He reeked of too much cologne and wore thick, wobbly eyeliner -once when she was twelve, Mabel had offered to teach him how apply it properly, and he took extreme offense-  and Dipper was pretty sure that he'd used magic to brainwash Wendy into hooking up with him. However, Robbie had moved to Washington last she'd heard, and it would be impossible to try to track him down. There was good chance he could have thrown it out, too.

 

She was thankful for remembering the one store in the mall that all the emo kids hung out at had them in stock a few summers back. Honestly, Mabel was surprised that they even had one left. Smiling to herself, Mabel paid for the sweatshirt and skipped out of the store, Pacifica trailing behind.

* * *

A ladder wobbled under Mabel, and she sucked in a worried breath while trying her best to keep herself balanced.

 

"Mabel, I think we should just ditch the star and get out of here before someone catches us!" Pacifica called up to her friend. She watched Mabel try to pry the wooden star atop the abandoned Tent of Telepathy off of a pole while trying to stay steady. This whole thing was Mabel's idea.

 

They'd been driving through town on their way back from a dinner date. Pacifica was just about to turn onto Gopher road when Mabel had suddenly told her to stop. "You know what would be funny?" Mabel had started. "If we took the star from the top of the old Tent of Telepathy! Think of it as a souvenir, almost. I'll put it up in my dorm when I go to school!"

 

Here they were, twenty minutes later. Mabel let out an excited shout when she'd finally wiggled the faded sign free before letting it drop to the ground. "I can't believe you," Pacifica snorted. She couldn't tell if this was typical Mabel weirdness, or a new type of weirdness that she'd never seen before. Over the past few days, she certainly hadn't been acting herself. She was also spending a lot of time in Dipper's room with Bill.

 

 _Whatever,_ Pacifica thought. _It's not a big deal. Just let Mabel be Mabel, and you'll be you._ She lifted up the star and teetered over to the car. Carefully, she slid it onto the roof of Stan's El Diablo before waiting for Mabel to climb down from the ladder.

 

Once they'd both buckled back up in the front seats, Pacifica pulled away from the tent and found herself wondering what Mabel was keeping from her.

* * *

 

Mabel shot Bill a dirty look and planted her hands on her hips. "I can't steal a portrait from Pacifica's house!" She snapped. "She would notice, and it would be wrong!"

 

Bill threw his arm around the girl. "Shooting Star," he said with a grin. "We made a deal." The smile faded. "You've gotta get me that llama portrait," Bill growled. "Or Pine Tree stays a ghost and I have to go up to the manor and get it myself." He slipped away from the girl and slumped down in the desk chair.

 

"I-" Mabel tried to protest, but couldn't. This was important. Really important. She needed to obtain every item on that list to save Dipper's body and get her family and life back in order. Hands balled into tight fists, she grumbled out, "Fine. But you're going to come with me."

 

Bill scoffed. "I don't do sleepovers, sorry." He rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to sleep over, no, but you're going to the party tomorrow night," Mabel replied, arms crossed.

"Party?" Bill raised a brow and shot her a confused look.

 

"Pacifica's cousin Matilda is having her Sweet Sixteen party at the mansion since her's is still being repaired from water damage or something like that," Mabel shrugged. "While Paz is distracted with the party, you can swipe the painting and leave." She smirked, proud of her idea.

 

He let out an annoyed huff. "Dress code?" Bill muttered.

"You've gotta dress up. Meaning a suit. Like, a whole suit, not just the top hat and bow like you usually do! You're a human now, and nobody wants to see your dingaling." Mabel rose to her feet. Pacifica had loaned her a dress already, and they were going to go out and get their hair done the next day.

 

"Alright. But only because this is the last item on the list," he grouched. "Now get out of here!"

  
Mabel slipped out of the room, feeling a bit of relief. Once they had the painting, Dipper would be back. For good.


	27. Chapter 27

With her arm linked through Pacifica's, Mabel cautiously stepped down the stairs. She wasn't used to heels, but didn't want to wear flats, because once she'd read that they were childish. This was a serious party with serious people, she'd realized after seeing Matilda and her friends. Mabel felt a bit out of place with her brightly colored, sequined dress and lack of expensive things to boast about.

 

Matilda had mostly, if not all, rich, snobbish friends who stood around on their phones eating food off of tiny plates and bragging about how they'd spent their Saturdays. For some odd reason, Mabel really wanted to impress them, or at least get on their good sides. They sort of intimidated her. Pacifica had said that then didn't really need to interact with them, but Mabel insisted on buying Matilda a gift and saying hello.

 

She nervously stepped closer to Pacifica as they approached the birthday girl. Matilda was tall with curly brown hair, and she wore a flowing black dress with one strap. It really suited her. She didn't look like she was related to Pacifica, but was just as beautiful.

 

"Hi, Matilda," Mabel beamed before passing over a small bag to the girl.

Matilda took it with a forced grin and a fake "Thanks!" She fumbled with it and pulled out a gift card.

 

"A Claire's card," Matilda muttered. "You got me a Claire's card?" She looked between Mabel and Pacifica.

"Fifteen dollars on it," Mabel added, her smile fading. Just as Matilda opened her mouth to make a comment on the present, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. It belonged to Pacifica's aunt.

"So kind of you, Maple," she murmured. "Right, Matilda?"

 

Matilda sighed. "Thank you, Maple."

Mabel didn't have the heart to tell them that Maple wasn't her name, and smiled wide as she chirped out a "No problemo!"

 

Pacifica lead Mabel over to a table cluttered with fountains gushing out thick toppings and various snacks to dip them in. "Where's Bill?" She asked while reaching for a plate. Mabel pretended to think about it for a moment.

"Bathroom still, I guess," she shrugged as she dunked a strawberry into the chocolate fountain. That was a lie, of course. Mabel knew Bill was in the storage room by now, snatching the painting of a llama.

 

"Should we check on him?" Pacifica murmured. She didn't like the idea of Bill being unsupervised, especially during a party like this one. He could try to eat the tiny soaps in the bathroom and choke, or pester the guests, or get into things he wasn't supposed to-

 

Mabel replied, shaking her head. "Nah."  She popped the strawberry into her mouth and took the blond's hands. "We should dance or something!" Sighing, Pacifica glanced out at the open space that was supposed to be the dance floor. None of the guests were on it, however.

 

"Lemme get some better music," Mabel muttered before fishing her phone out of her bra and causing Pacifica to snort. "What? Don't judge me. I don't have pockets!"

 

Excitedly, Mabel bounded onto the dance floor once she'd hooked her phone up to the loudspeaker system, dragging her friend behind her. The music had changed from slow, classical music -Pacifica's aunt had probably put it on at some point- to a more upbeat pop song. Something they could really dance to.

 

Matilda's friends swung their heads around to look at the girls. Nobody bothered joining them, leaving Mabel and Pacifica alone on the dance floor.

 

Pacifica giggled as they spun around, pressing closer to Mabel with every step. She'd taken professional dancing lessons before, both ballroom and tap, and was almost positive they weren't really doing anything right, but she didn't really care at the moment. She was having fun, and the singer playing was one of her favorites.

 

When the song had ended, the girls trailed back over towards the food tables, still snickering. They held hands and ignored all of the glares Pacifica's older relatives gave them.

 

Mabel leaned back against the wall, her phone in hand. Just as Pacifica was about to speak, her mother hissed behind them. "Pacifica Elise Northwest!" Mrs. Northwest yanked her daughter's arm. "A word?"

 

Pacifica shot Mabel a nervous glance before following her mother out of the large room and into a hallway. "Huh," Mabel murmured, knowing whatever Mrs. Northwest wanted to say wouldn't be good. She glimpsed down at her phone to find two new texts from Di- Bill. Bill was the one texting.

 

**_9:07 PM got the painting. still gonna need your help tomorrow with ritual junk. be home by 11 am._ **

**_9:13 PM going home and going to bed_ **

 

She let out a relieved sigh. All of this was almost over.

 

 _Dipper will be back tomorrow_ , she thought.

 

Dipper would be back tomorrow. Her eyes widened. In less than 24 hours, she would see her twin again. Physically, not just in her weird dreamscape. It also meant no more keeping secrets from her family. She stuffed her phone back in her dress, practically glowing with happiness.

 

"Sorry about that," Pacifica mumbled once she'd returned. She hung her head, studying the floor and her shoes.

"It's okay!" Mabel chimed. "Was it about the dancing?" She set her hand on Pacifica's shoulder, feeling a bit guilty.

 

Pacifica nodded. "She said if we were gonna dance, we would have to do serious dancing, and then went on about embarrassing Matilda and whatever," she shrugged, lifting her head.

"Fine. We'll dance 'seriously', then. Show me how!" Mabel elbowed her friend's side.

 

"Okay," Pacifica said, smiling a little.

  
Mabel decided she was going to have as much fun as possible as she could that night. She needed to relax, celebrate even. Her side of the deal with Bill was practically completed now.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for blood and self harm.

"It's about time you answered my calls!" Mabel exclaimed, growing more and more frustrated with Bill. She paced her bedroom, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Where the hell are you?"

 

 

"Signal's spotty out here, Shooting Star," Bill replied.

"Out where?" Mabel demanded, reaching for her backpack. She slung it over her shoulder and headed out of the room.

"The cliffs. Spot where you and Pacifica go," he sighed. "Hurry up or you're gonna miss this."

 

 

The hike up the dirt path took Mabel about fifteen minutes. She'd shot Pacifica a warning text just to be on the safe side, saying Bill asked for her to help him with something up there. There hadn't been a response yet. She fumbled with a hair tie as she walked, pulling her hair into a sloppy ponytail. 

 

 

When she reached the clearing, Mabel slumped her backpack down by the boulders she'd hit her head on and approached Bill. She saw that he'd already set out the items she'd collected over the past week. They aligned with the sketch Bill had drawn of the wheel with the symbols. "So what now?" Mabel muttered, standing next to him.

 

 

Bill turned to her. "I need blood," he answered.

 

 

Her eyes widened and she stepped back. "You're not using any of mine!" Mabel whimpered.

"It's either yours or Pine Tree's," Bill shrugged. "Whatever. Doesn't really matter." The demon shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a sharp knife. "Where did you-"

 

 

"Stan's room," he murmured before pressing the blade against Dipper's skin.

"You can't do this!" Mabel yelped, suddenly at his side and trying to pry the knife out of his hands.

"Do you want your brother to come back or not?" Bill snapped, twisting away from her. 

 

 

Tears pricked at her eyes. "Fine," she mumbled. "I'm gonna go sit over there. Let me know when you're done." There was no way Mabel would be able to watch something like that. She already felt sick just thinking about it. With a huff, Mabel sat on a rock, her back turned to Bill.

 

 

She buried her head in her hands and was waiting for Bill to tell her he was done with the nasty, bloody part of the ritual when she heard someone call out her name. Mabel quickly looked up. "Paz?" 

 

 

Bill turned around, scowling. "You can't just invite people to these sorts of things!" He shouted.

"What's going on?" Pacifica's voice wobbled as she spoke. Right away, she noticed the items spread out on the ground. So Mabel had been lying. The star, the hoodie- was that the llama painting from the storage room? Bill turned back to whatever it was he was doing, grumbling to himself about Mabel being a moron.

 

 

Mabel didn't look up at her friend. She chewed on her lip, trying her hardest not to cry. Pacifica stepped forward and wrapped one of her arms around the girl. "M-Mabel, I need you to tell me what's going on," she whispered. "Then we can call the cops, o-or Stan and Ford, I think." A soft, manicured hand rubbed at Mabel's shoulder.

 

 

"B-Bill and I-" Once again, Mabel couldn't speak.

"You what?" Pacifica frowned, glancing over her shoulder. She was seriously concerned for Dipper's body. All of that blood loss couldn't be good for him.

"I can't tell you," Mabel sniffled.

 

 

Pacifica shook her head. "Mabel, you can tell me anything! You know tha-" She was cut off by the brunette.

"P-Pacifica, I literally cannot tell you. I-it's magic stuff, there's some kind of thing going on with me. If I try t-to talk, my voice just g-goes all quiet," Mabel tried to explain. "I'm s-sorry I've been so weird these past few days."

 

 

"Shooting Star! Get over here!" Bill spun around, grinning. Thick, dark blood was oozing out of a nasty gash on his arm.

Mabel swallowed nervously and moved across the clearing. "Y-yeah?" She croaked, hands shoved in the pockets of her hoodie.

"I need you to read this off for me. It's a summoning spell. I'm giving your brother control again." He winked at her.

 

 

She took a sheet of paper from him and unfolded it. In messy handwriting, Bill had scribbled out the passage for her to recite. "O-okay," Mabel mumbled. "Give me a second first, though," he told her. The demon slowly made his way around the perimeter of the circle, placing and lighting candles as he went. In the center, he had drawn an eye with Dipper's blood.

 

 

Bill planted himself in the center of the wheel. "Mabel!" Pacifica rushed forward, latching onto her friend's arm. "Don't do this. I just called Stan, they're gonna drive up here-"

 

 

"Great! Now we've gotta hurry," Bill grouched.

"Pacifica, this is the quickest way to get Dipper back," Mabel babbled, rushing out the words. She looked down at the paper in her hands. What even was this? Definitely not English, that was for sure.

 

 

"Mabel-"

 

 

Mabel had already started to mumble out the spell, hands shaking.

"Louder, Shooting Star!" Bill barked. She raised her voice and didn't take her eyes off of the paper.

"Mabel, please!" Pacifica croaked.

 

 

She hated situations like this. It was like Bill was always begging her to do something, but her loved ones always convinced her to do otherwise. Not this time, though. Mabel was doing exactly what he'd wanted her to.

 

 

The small flames on top of the candles flickered out, one by one. "See ya later, girls!" Bill laughed. Both Mabel and Pacifica missed what he said, however, due to an awful ringing in their ears. As she finished reading, Mabel let the paper fall to the ground. She looked up and didn't remember the sky being so overcast when she'd arrived at the cliffs.

 

 

Dipper's body slumped over onto the ground.

 

 


	29. Chapter 29

Dipper Pines let out a loud cry as soon as he was back in his body.

 

 

 

He'd been watching everything- Bill set up the wheel, Mabel arriving at the cliffs. It was easy to figure out his sister had made a deal with him after that. Dipper knew the deep cut on his arm would hurt when he got back, but he didn't expect it to hurt this much.

 

 

 

Mabel sunk to the ground next to Dipper and threw her arms around him, careful with his injury. He tried to make out what she was saying, but it was hard to when she was letting out sobs that were only muffled by his shoulder.

"M-Mabel," he whispered, grimacing. 

 

Pacifica knelt down beside them, her head leaning onto Dipper's shoulder. He realized quickly that she was crying as well. Before he could really think about it, Dipper was overwhelmed with emotion and teared up as well. He had a body again. He walk and talk and people could actually see and hear him do so.

 

"I love you guys," Mabel squeaked, rubbing her eyes with her hoodie's sleeve. "So much." Pacifica nodded, lifting her head. Mabel's eyes suddenly widened. "Ohmygod, Dipper, we have to get you to a hospital, and we-"

 

The air had been still.

 

Now, strong gusts of wind blew across the clearing, rattling the tree branches and sending dead leaves rolling through the grass. Mabel turned her head towards the sky, frowning for a moment before turning her attention back to Dipper. "Ford and Stan are gonna be here any minute," Pacifica told him, her voice cracking.

 

He sucked in a shaky breath and looked down at the cut. Dipper felt sick just looking at the thing. "It's okay, Dippingsauce," Mabel murmured, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "It's all good."

 

"I can't believe you did all of that," Dipper muttered. At first, his expression seemed angry, but it softened. "Just to get me back?" He shook his head.

"Mabel, what did you do?" Pacifica asked, setting a hand on the girl's knee.

 

Mabel stared at her lap. "I made a deal with Bill," she started. God, was she tired of those words. Deal this, deal that, Bill this, Bill that. She balled her hands into tight fists, angry tears forming in her eyes. "I had to help him get supplies for a ritual. Dipper would get his body back in return."

 

Pacifica pulled her hand away when she noticed Mabel's were glowing with blue flames. She sucked in a worried breath, but didn't mention anything. "M-Mabes, uh-" Dipper stammered, scooting back before she could burn holes in her jeans. He winced when he accidentally tried to put weight on his bad arm.

 

"Shit, sorry," Mabel hissed before letting the fire die. "A-anyways, that's why I've been acting so weird lately," she murmured, feeling ashamed. "By the way, we stole your llama portrait... You can have it back if you want."

 

 

And despite everything that had just happened, the three of them were laughing.

 

They all swung their heads when Stan's El Diablo pulled up into the clearing. "Kids!" Stan exclaimed, scrambling out of the car. His eyes widened at the sight of Dipper. Actual Dipper, not Bill.

 

Pacifica was squished into an awkward hug, putting an arm around the old man as he hugged his niece and nephew. "We gotta get you to a hospital, Dipper, h-holy shit!" Stan croaked when he noticed the boy's injury. Ford climbed out of the car, holding a first aid kit.

 

Ford wrapped up the cut after trying to clean it, shooting his nephew a nervous smile. Dipper grimaced, starting to feel lightheaded. He had probably lost a lot of blood by now.

 

"Mabel, Paz, you get his feet," Stan ordered the girls as he hooked his arms under Dipper's. The two teenagers lifted his legs and they carefully made their way back over to the car. Because of the seating arrangements, Pacifica sat in the back, uncomfortably smushed between a dazed Dipper and an anxious Mabel.

 

She sighed.

* * *

 

The street lights felt warm and fuzzy to Pacifica as she stepped out into the parking lot of the hospital. Mabel sat on the curb, sipping at a frappuccino she'd bought inside. Pacifica didn't say anything as she eased herself down onto the concrete.

 

"Paz," Mabel whispered, setting her sugary drink down on the pavement. "I'm sorry." She looked the blond in the eyes.

 

"F-for what?" Pacifica furrowed her brow as she scooted closer to Mabel, their shoulders pressing together.

"Everything," Mabel answered, her voice soft, almost too quiet for her friend to hear.

Pacifica shook her head. "You didn't do anyth-"

"Paz, I lied to you, I-I almost got you hurt, I'm..." Mabel turned away, her back facing the girl beside her.

 

"Mabel, please," Pacifica whispered as she set her hand on her shoulder. She felt the soft fabric of Mabel's t-shirt, and looked down to notice her nail polish had chipped earlier. "I'm not mad. I can't be mad at you for something like that."

 

Mabel felt a lump in her throat as she shifted to look at Pacifica.

 

"I love you, Mabel." It came out a whisper, and it sounded different than she wanted it to.

"I love you too," Mabel murmured, rubbing the side of her arm. She leaned closer to Pacifica, their foreheads pressed together. The blond felt her cheeks grow hot and closed her eyes.

 

It all happened so fast- next thing Pacifica knew, they had their lips pressed together in a gentle kiss. She rested at the back of Mabel's head, her fingers running through her brown curls. Her brain felt fuzzy and she couldn't believe this was really happening.

Mabel pulled her head back, grinning wide. "We just-" She stammered. 

"Yeah," Pacifica breathed. 

"Was that okay?" Mabel asked. They'd  _kissed._ Not just that platonic kiss on the cheek that lots of  _girls_ did to their  _friends_ , but on the lips. The kind that  _girlfriends_ exchanged.

 "Yeah," Pacifica whispered.

 

Just as Mabel was about to say something, her uncle Ford made his way out of the sliding doors. "There you guys are," he muttered as they turned around. Ford squinted at the two, as if trying to figure out what exactly was going on between the two. He could tell by Pacifica's blush and Mabel's grin that whatever it was, it was important.

 

"We're about to leave. Dipper's good to go, I guess," he informed. "You coming?" Ford shoved his hands in the pocket of his coat. Mabel nodded and grabbed her coffee before standing. She stretched, her butt feeling numb from sitting on the curb for so long.

 

Pacifica fumbled for Mabel's free hand as they followed Ford back towards the building. She realized while they walked that she'd always kind of liked Mabel Pines. Kind, sweet, adorable Mabel. The kiss didn't seem real. The blond felt like she was floating as she walked.

 

She looked over her shoulder, slowing down a bit. The sky, which had been overcast since they'd left the cliffs, was dark. Clouds that filled it shifted to reveal the moon. Pacifica frowned. Funny. She didn't remember it being a full moon. Now that she could see the stars, the sky felt so much wider, more open. It felt as if it would just swallow her whole in that moment.

She watched a narrow, dark slit rolled over the edge and gasped, chills running down her spine.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 3 - How They Saved The Town

 

"Girls! Girls! Calm down!" Stanford Pines waved his hands as he tried to figure out what the two teenagers in front of him were babbling about. Pacifica was close to crying and Mabel kept looking over her shoulder while clinging to the blond. Ford could only make out the words "eye" and "moon" from their stammering.

 

"Bill was watching us!" Pacifica pointed towards the door, a panicked expression spread on her face.

"The moon! His eye!" Mabel exclaimed as she pressed closer to her. Ford raised a brow before pushing past them. He stepped out of the hospital's lobby and tipped his head up towards the starry sky.

 

Sure enough, the moon had a narrow, black slit rolled over the front. It definitely looked like the eye of Bill Cipher. Pacifica and Mabel joined him, now silent.

 

"Mabel, Pacifica-" Ford started. "You two need to get Stanley and Dipper, ASAP. I'll bring the car around."

Mabel nodded before taking Pacifica's hand and dragging her back into the building while her uncle headed through the dark parking lot.

 

"Mabel," Pacifica murmured as they weaved through a crowded area filled with other emergency room patients and nurses calling after them. "What are we gonna do about the whole moon-eye thing?" She bit her lip, the very thought of the sight make the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The possibility of Bill watching over them worried her.

 

They slowed down before stopping in front of an empty waiting room. Mabel forced a smile and took the blond's hands. "Ford and Stan can handle this." Her voice sounded so confident, so sure. Pacifica almost believed her. "Those guys know a lot about Bill! It'll be okay," Mabel reassured. She pecked a kiss on Pacifica's cheek.

 

Behind them, Stan cleared his throat.

"Woah, what's going on here?" Dipper teased. Both girls turned around, a bit embarrassed.

"Guys!" Mabel let go of Pacifica's hands. "Ford's waiting outside. Big stuff here," she huffed. "Bill."

 

Dipper and Stan both shot each other nervous looks. "Bill? But he's-"

 

"He's the moon! Now c'mon, people, let's go!" Mabel exclaimed, getting curious glances from other patients.

"The moon?" She heard Dipper mutter as she pushed her family towards the main exit. 

 

Out front, Ford had pulled Stan's car up to the curb. Dipper glimpsed up at the night sky, swallowing nervously, before sliding into the backseat next to Mabel and Pacifica. Once everyone was buckled, -despite the demonic eye watching over them, Mabel cared about her family's safety- Stan finally spoke up.

 

"So what's... Uh..." He asked, twisting in his seat to face the kids behind him.

"I-I really don't know?" Mabel stammered. "I'm guessing h-he's in the real world or something? I dunno what he's planning, but it can't be anything good," she murmured as she played with a strand of her hair.

 

"Well, usually when he talks to someone, he pulls them into the Mindscape. It's easier than taking a physical form," Ford sighed, not taking his eyes off of the road. "He's never been powerful enough to take a physical form." He glimpsed back at the kids through the mirror.

 

Mabel's eyes went wide.

 

_Shit._

 

"Uh- heh, uh, guys?" She stammered, her sweaty hands folded in her lap. Her family turned to look at her, and Mabel swallowed nervously before continuing. "So I might have helped Bill with that. W-we made a deal." 

 

The car quickly swerved, and Ford pulled off on the side of the road. "Mabel," he hissed once they'd stopped. "What kind of deal?"

 

Mabel hung her head, curls falling in her face. "I-I had to help him set up some kind of ritual. And he let Dipper have his body back." There was a lump in her throat. She bit her lip to hold back embarrassed tears and tried her best to hold back any accidents with her powers. "H-he tricked me!"

 

Ford and Stan both frowned at each other as Pacifica wrapped her arm around Mabel. "The ritual must have, I dunno, made him more powerful or something," Ford muttered, thinking. He gripped the wheel again. "We're going home. Stanley and I will handle things," the man told them, glancing at his brother. Stan smiled slightly. "You do not leave the house. You do not answer the door, or let anyone in. Got it?"

 

All three teenagers nodded.

 

"Stay in the car," Ford grumbled to Stan when they'd reached the Mystery Shack. "Kids, get in the house." He clambered out of the car without saying anything else.

 

As she climbed the porch steps, Mabel fumbled for Pacifica's hand while shooting her a reassuring smile. Dipper followed, rubbing awkwardly at the bandages around his arm. Bill's eye still stared down at them, and he was getting creeped out now.  _Stop watching us_ , he thought.  _Go away. Please._

"Uncle Ford," Dipper called after the old man. "Need any help?" He stood in the doorway of the gift shop, leaning against the wall.

"I'm fine, Dipper. Just go to bed or something. We'll be back later," Ford replied, punching in the code to the newly-repaired vending machine. It swung open, and he slipped through the passageway before pulling the door closed.

 

Dipper sighed.

 

He turned back towards the living room and slowly crossed it, taking a quick look around the dark room. Yawning, he shoved his hands in his pockets. He'd missed being at home- really being at home, in his own body. Despite the slight pain in his right arm and sore feeling in his joints, it felt incredible to be out of the Mindscape.

 

As he passed Mabel's room, Dipper paused. "Good night, Mabes!" He called to her through the closed door.

"Night!" Mabel and Pacifica both chirped at the same time from the other side. Dipper rubbed his eyes as he headed up to the attic, the thought of getting some real sleep exciting him.

 

The hallway outside of his bedroom was dim, the only source of light coming from the window on the far wall. It cast patches of light onto the wooden floors. Everything about the room felt familiar to Dipper, and he loved it. For a moment, he was at peace. 

 

"Pine Tree!"

 

Dipper stifled a scream and spun around to face a large, glowing triangle.

 


	31. Chapter 31

"B-B-" Dipper stammered. The demon in front of him snapped his fingers before a black cane appeared in his hand. 

"Sheesh, kid, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Bill teased before jabbing the boy with his cane. Dipper felt his hand warm up, and he glimpsed down to see that it was engulfed in bright blue flames. Nervously, he took a shaky step backwards. 

Eyes wide, Dipper managed to spit out, "What do you want with us?" He pressed his back against the wall, his knees wobbling.Dipper wouldn't have been as worried, but when he realized that everything around him was still in color and that Bill had taken a physical form, he started to panic.

 

"I just wanted to drop by and thank you and your sister," Bill scoffed, whacking Dipper on the head with his cane.

"Thank us? Thank us for what?" Dipper muttered, rubbing at the sore spot.

The demon rolled his eye and let the object disappear. "Without you two, I wouldn't be out here right now!"

Dipper frowned slightly. "That wasn't really what we wanted to-" He stopped when Bill planted one of his skinny, black fingers on his lips.

"Look. I just wanted to say thank you and see you two one last time." Bill pulled his hand back and glimpsed around the attic.

"One last time?" Dipper's voice wobbled as he spoke.

"Yeah, before you're all dead!" Bill chirped, as if this wasn't a big deal.

 

"What?!" Mabel yelped from the stairway. Both Dipper and Bill turned to look at her. She planted her hands on her hips, scowling fiercely at the demon in front of her.

"Ah, Shooting Star! I was wondering where you were," Bill muttered in response.

 

Mabel stormed forward before yanking Dipper away from Bill. He stumbled, shaking away any fear he'd had of the triangle. " _What_  was that about us all dying?" Mabel demanded, jabbing her thumb at Bill.

Chuckling, Bill held up his hands. "Well, my plan is complete, meaning-"

"Plan?" Dipper interrupted.

Bill narrowed his eye at the boy. "Meaning, unless you can get out of town before sunrise, you'll go to the next dimension over with it!" He flicked Dipper's forehead, causing the boy to let out an annoyed grunt.

 

"What do you mean, 'go to the next dimension over'?" Mabel squeaked, hands now nervously balled up into fists. Bill made an irritated noise and crossed his arms. 

 

"You see, Gravity Falls isn't exactly... Normal. You kids noticed that a long time ago, I'm sure. But the problem is that it's a complete pain in my ass!" He gestured out the window. "So I'm out here keeping my eye on this town, and it's the worst! A terrible way to spend a few centuries, honestly. So I figured, if I send this dump over to another dimension, it'll be out of mind, out of sight. I can hide it away and never have to worry about it again!" Bill reached over and ruffled Mabel's hair.

The twins shot each other nervous looks. "W-well you can't do that! Because Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford are gonna stop you!" Mabel shouted, furrowing her brow. Bill laughed at that and made his cane reappear. 

 

"I'd like to see them try," Bill scoffed, twirling his cane by the handle. "They're out of the house, and won't be back for a while. Ol' Sixer and Mackerel won't even know what to do, I bet!" He chimed before thwomping Mabel on the head with the stick. 

 

"Mabel?" Pacifica called from the stairwell. "Did you find that Wii remote yet? I still need to kick your ass at Mario Ka-" The blond had reached the top of the steps, and her jaw dropped. Nervously, her gaze flickered over to the twins. "W-what is he doing h-here?"

Bill groaned as Pacifica rushed to Mabel's side. "S-should I call your uncles?" She whispered, eyeing Bill. 

"I can hear ya, y'know!" The demon grumbled before knocking the top of Pacifica's head with his cane.

"Would you cut that out?!" Dipper snapped.

"No!" Bill snapped back as the object met Dipper's forehead. "Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted again," he huffed. "I've been working on this for a long time, and now it's finally happening! Before, I wasn't..." He paused for a moment, before mumbling, "I wasn't powerful enough."

Pacifica squeezed Mabel's hand, shooting the demon a confused look. "I needed a body to stop your uncle from coming out of that portal, so of course, the way to get the one I needed, I arranged a little  _accident._ " Bill looked back at the twins. 

"The accident was my fau-" Dipper was cut short by Bill.

"Who do you think kept you up all night?" Bill laughed. "You were tired, crashed the car. Poor Stan couldn't handle the thought of his precious great niece and nephew being dead, so of course, it was the perfect time to strike a deal," he explained, seeming proud of his work.

"But Ford came out of the portal-" Pacifica started.

"I'm getting to that!" Bill boomed. "So I was going to keep him back on the other side of that portal, now that I had a vessel to use, so he wouldn't get in my way! But when that started to fuck up, I thought to myself, 'huh, how am I gonna perform that ritual now?' and then Pine Tree offered his body to me, and while it seemed like a stalling tactic, I actually came up with plan B- using Pine Tree to get Shooting Star to get me those ritual items! Turns out old Sixer wasn't that big of an obstacle," he chuckled.

 

"Basically, the reason why I kept agreeing to all those deals... I need a physical, solid form to exist on this plane of existence! The Pines Family, the perfect set of puppets for me to borrow until I could get my own."

 

Mabel's jaw dropped. "Y-you-"

 

Dipper and Pacifica nervously looked over at the angry girl.

 

"You used me!" She shouted, shoving the triangle backwards.

Bill's eye widened in surprise. "Yeah, I did! Get used to it, Shooting Star! Life's rough, and maybe you should get a helmet!" He snapped back, glaring at her. 

 

Dipper shook his head. "So everything, all of that- it was your plan?" He muttered, glancing up at the bitter triangle. Bill made a noise of agreement and turned towards the window.

 

"What if..." Pacifica started. "Bill. Let's strike a deal."

 

"What!?" Dipper and Mabel both whipped their heads around to look at her.

"Are you nuts!?" Mabel grabbed the blond by the shoulders and shook her. Pacifica, however, only stared straight ahead at Bill.

"A deal?" Bill scoffed. "What could I possibly need with you? I've got my own physical form, now, which means I definitely don't need you, blondie!" Another whack of the cane was heard against the top of Pacifica's head.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What will it take to get you to leave us alone?" Pacifica grunted. 

"Well..." Bill thought it over for a moment. "What do you have to offer?" He murmured.

"Money? A lot of money," Pacifica replied. "You can't just buy your way into a deal with Bill, Pa-" Dipper stopped when she continued. "Diamonds? Gold? Silver? Jewels! Pearls! Anything..."

"Gold?" Bill purred, creeping closer to Pacifica. She felt uneasy, and took a wobbly step back from him. "G-gold," she repeated.

 

He made an awkward motion, one similar to shrugging, and stuck out his hand. Pacifica nervously clamped hers down in it. "S-so I want you to not touch anything on Shack grounds. Not me, not Dipper, not Mabel, n-not Waddles, not the building itself. N-nothing. Got i-it?" She mumbled.

 

"And in return...?" Bill looked down at her.

 

"And in return, you can have any gold you find on my family's property," Pacifica told him, staring at the floor. 

 

They shook on it before he pulled away.

 

"Well, later, suckers!" Bill chirped before suddenly rushing backwards, busting through the window on the other side of the room. Glass shattered and fell to the floor as Mabel, Dipper, and Pacifica stood in the attic, jaws dropped. 

 


	32. Chapter 32

"Pacifica!" Mabel yelped, waving her arms. The blond turned towards her, nervously running the side of her arm. "You made a deal with Bill and what if-"

"Mabel," Dipper whispered, setting his hand on his sister's shoulder. She sighed and hung her head. "We n-need to call Grunkle Stan, right now," Mabel murmured, turning away from both Pacifica and Dipper. She slumped down the steps."Is she mad at me?" Pacifica squeaked, running her fingers through her hair. She felt knots and tangles and wondered how bad she looked in that moment. Dipper shook his head at her.

"You've seen Mabel when she's mad, like back there with Bill? That's angry Mabel. But with you? No. Disappointed, frustrated, probably, bit definitely not mad." He patted her back before disappearing down the staircase.

Pacifica looked back at the shattered window and let out a tired sigh. She knelt down beside the bits and pieces of colored glass. Careful not to cut herself, she swept the damage into a near pile near the wall and brushed off her hands. Her lip quivered. "This day has been too much," she whispered as she rubbed at her eyes. She would  _not_ cry. No tears here.When she joined the twins downstairs, Pacifica sat on the edge of the kitchen table, eyeing Mabel anxiously. Dipper was on the floor, his back pressed against the cabinets, knees pulled close to his chest. Mabel paced the room while biting her nails and holding her phone up to her ear. Little charms shaped like kittens dangled against the phone's case as they waited for Stan to answer."He won't pick up!" Mabel growled in frustration before pressing the call button again. She leaned back against the countertop, and Pacifica noticed the girl was crossing her fingers. "Please Stan, please-""Wait!" Dipper jerked forward and shushed the both of them. "Do you hear that?"Both Mabel and Pacifica went quiet. There was a quiet chirping coming from the living room, and all three teenagers scrambled to find the source. Dipper made it to the chair first, and groaned when he found Stan's phone wedged between the cushion and the armrest. He fished it out of the space before dismissing the incoming call and passing it over to Mabel.

 

"He left it here," Pacifica muttered.

"Well I'm going out to find him!" Mabel insisted. "We need to talk to him, and Ford too!" She stormed towards the front door and yanked a hoodie off of a coat rack, one that was from the gift shop and at least two sizes too big for her."If you're going, I'm going," Dipper told her as he grabbed his sneakers. Mabel shoved her feet into an old pair of slippers and looked back.at Pacifica."I don't know, g-guys, they kind of told us to stay here..." Pacifica frowned. "Plus we don't even have a car, and the Shack is kind of like, a safe place right now? Bill can't get us if we just stay put." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her pajama shorts."Paz, Stan and Ford could be out all night, completely oblivious to any danger! They could come back when it's too late, and then we're all fucked. Would you rather go out and look for them, or potentially get sucked into another dimension?" Dipper snapped, stepping closer to her. Pacifica glared up at him."Fine. But at least let me call Rosie, she'll drive us around."

* * *

Mabel would have been thrilled to be riding in the limo if she wasn't so stressed over her uncles. "What if they're hurt?" She whimpered, nails close to her lips, in case she felt like picking at them again. "Or Bill found them? Or-"

"We'll find them," Dipper shouted over the wind, trying to sound reassuring. He stuck his upper half through the sunroof, keeping his eyes peeled for Stan's El Diablo. However, he hadn't seen anything yet, and he had swallowed a bug. The night air felt cool against his skin, and he tilted his head up toward the sky.Rosie had kept quiet for most of the drive. Pacifica felt guilty for pestering her so late, but would make up for it with an exceptionally large tip. She sat awkwardly next to Mabel, facing the windows. "Mabes," Pacifica started."Yeah?" Mabel replied without taking her eyes away from the window she was staring out of."Are you like... Mad at me or anything?" Pacifica scooted a little closer, not wanting Dipper or Rosie to hear their conversation. However, with the quiet hum of music coming from the radio up front and the roaring wind outside the car, she didn't have to try too hard to stay quiet."No," Mabel simply said. "I'm not mad at you." She set her chin in her palm and closed her eyes. Pacifica waited for her to continue. "But I'm a little... I don't know... I just wish you didn't have to make that deal with Bill." There it was again. Deal. Mabel's new least favorite word."It's not like I sold my soul to him or anything," Pacifica murmured."But you got roped into all of this!" Mabel snapped. "You didn't have to do that." She scooted closer to Pacifica. "I appreciate it, Paz, but you shouldn't have done that."Pacifica wrapped her arms around Mabel and closed her eyes. "I wanted to help you guys. You're... You're my family." She laced her fingers in Mabel's soft curls. "Mabel, I don't wanna see you or Dipper get hurt," she whispered."But all of that gold you promised him? Your parents are gonna freak!" Mabel protested."Mabel, it's not a big deal. Gold? Really? My parents probably won't even notice anything is missing." Pacifica shook her head before pressing her forehead up to Mabel's. "We'll get rid of that triangle freak, for once and for all."Mabel forced a crooked smile. "I hope so," she croaked.

 

As Dipper ducked back into the inside of the limousine, he caught Mabel and Pacifica exchanging a quick kiss on the lips. He slid onto the seat and frowned. "If you two aren't too busy making out, does anyone wanna trade me up there?" Dipper bit, crossing his arms. Pacifica blushed, a bit embarrassed, but she nodded. 

 

Pacifica carefully peeked out of the sunroof before carefully standing better. She smiled to herself and twisted around to look at the road behind them. Dark trees surrounded either side of the street, and she knew that they were almost at the other side of town. Soon, they'd end up at her family's manor.

 

"Paaaaaaz," Mabel called up to her, poking the girl's legs. "Is there room for me up there?" She flashed a toothy grin.

 

Pacifica nodded, and next thing she knew, Mabel was squeezing to stand in the opening. They pressed close together, barely fitting in the small space. Both girls giggled as Mabel threw her hands up in the air. Almost every time they rode in the limousine, Mabel would pop out of the roof for a moment, just like this. Only this time it felt different.

 

"What do we do if we don't find your uncles?" Pacifica asked, frowning. The two old men hadn't mention a specific location.

"Go back home, I-I guess, but we'll find them. Right, Dip?" Mabel replied.

 

Dipper didn't answer.

 

"Dipper, c'mon!" Mabel slipped back inside the limo and showed her brother a fake pout.

 

"Mabel, they could be anywhere in the area... There's a huge chance we won't see them. I mean, we're driving out on the main roads, it's pitch-black out there, and we don't even know what general direction they went," Dipper mumbled, crossing his arms. "I think we should keep looking, however." 

 

Mabel flopped over, landing on one of the long, leather seats. "Fine. Maybe we won't find them," She admitted. "On these roads, that is. But if we go through the woods? I think we might!" She crawled over towards the front of the vehicle and tapped on Rosie's window. It slowly rolled down, and the woman glimpsed back at Mabel through the mirror.

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm gonna need you to turn left up ahead," Mabel answered, pointing at an upcoming fork in the path

 

"Driving this thing on a dirt road? I don't think that's a good idea," Rosie muttered.

 

"It's not!" Dipper added from the back.

 

"Please?" Mabel pleaded. "It's really important!" She stuck out her bottom lip, eyes wide. "Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"

 

Rosie sighed. "Fine." 

 

"Mabel, this is a bad idea," Pacifica shook her head after sitting down. "Maybe, but I've gotta find Grunkle Stan and Ford," Mabel replied, looking away. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and hung her head.

 

Pacifica and Dipper exchanged worried looks. "Sorry," Mabel whispered. "I'm probably getting carried away with this stuff, I just... I don't like this. I don't like them being gone, in all this danger." She tugged at the strings of her sweatshirt, pulling the hood tight around her face.

 

"Mabes," Pacifica murmured. She bit her lip before pulling the hoodie's strings back. Mabel, now exposed again, sniffled and sat still as Pacifica wrapped an arm around her. A moment later, Dipper was at her other side, a hand on her shoulder. "If it's this important to you... We'll keep looking."

 

Mabel smiled a little. "R-really?" She sat up better and turned back towards the window. "Thanks guys," she chimed.

 

The three kept quiet, staring out at the trees. Pacifica would have stood back up, but the branches hung low, already brushing against the limo's top. The thought of pine needles and leaves in her face didn't sound too appealing. 

 

Between the four of them, it was silent. The only sounds heard were those of the wheels against the gravel and dirt, and the occasional owl hoot or branch scrape against the roof. When the road joined back up with one closer to town, Mabel groaned in frustration. 

 

"Maybe we should just head home," Pacifica suggested. "They'll come back eventually, right?" She frowned slightly. 

 

"I'll drive you kids back to the Mystery Shack," Rosie called back to them. All three nodded, and kept quiet. Mabel curled up next to Pacifica, closing her eyes. "Thank you," Pacifica said with a smile.

 

Feeling more calm, Pacifica leaned her head back against the tinted windows and pulled Mabel closer. The Pines girl buried her face in Paz's side and let out a sleepy grunt. Pacifica almost didn't notice when there was a bright flash outside.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning for abuse/sort of abuse??

 

Pacifica's eyes widened as the vehicle slowed to a stop. "What the hell was _that?_ " She yelped, looking over at Dipper.

"Why look at me? It's not like I know!" Dipper exclaimed.Mabel lifted her head and reached over to roll down the windows. The three teens stuck their heads out of the limousine to see the source of the now glowing light. "Oh shit," Pacifica whispered. "That's my house."Up on top of the steep hill Northwest Manor sat on, there was a golden glow, blinding and bright. "Bill!" Mabel growled, balling her hands up into tight fists. "He's gonna-""Rosie! I need you to drive us back to my house!" Pacifica hissed, scrambling closer to the front of the limo. She knelt down on the floor, hands resting against the edge of the small divider separating the small area and the rest of the vehicle. "You mean you want me to drive towards the spooky, supernatural light, the one coming from your mansio-" "Grunkle Stan and Ford might go there!" She yelped. "Please, just drop us off at the manor!" Mabel gripped the leather seats so tight that her knuckles turned white. Rosie sighed. "If we get killed by something up there, it's not my fault," she grumbled. "Sit down and hang tight."Pacifica scooted back into her seat next to Mabel and flashed her a nervous smile. Mabel patted the girl's hand, trying to be reassuring. Neither one of them knew what was going to happen up at the manor, and honestly, Pacifica was _terrified._  Bill Cipher gave her the creeps, and the thought of actually having to face him once more made her uneasy. The blond kept her head turned towards the window, watching her house flicker in between the tall trees. She swallowed.  _You need to calm down. Don't get yourself all worked up._ Pacifica closed her eyes and sucked in a shaky breath."We'll be a-okay, Paz," Mabel whispered.Pacifica simply nodded at that. When the limo rolled up to Northwest Manor, Pacifica groaned. The tall, wooden gates in front of the building had been destroyed, and judging by the ashes and smoke, Bill had used fire. Rosie turned back to face the kids behind her and sighed."Good luck," she told them, forcing a quick smile."Thanks for driving us, Rosie!" Mabel chirped, as if they weren't about to check up on a demon who could be destroying Pacifica's home.Dipper and Pacifica both mumbled quiet thanks and followed Mabel out the door. Mabel could smell the smoke and burning wood, and she frowned as she started up the long driveway. Pacifica stopped and turned to look back, just in time to see Rosie drive off. She sighed and trudged after Mabel and Dipper. "I'm so sorry, Pacifica," Dipper muttered, taking a look around.  He shook his head."Why?" Pacifica asked, glancing up at him."Well, a demon just kind of trashed your house!" He shrugged, laughing awkwardly. "Your parents are gonna have to pay, like, a ton of money to get this place fi- Shit! Pacifica, are your parents home?" Dipper spun around to face her, eyes wide."I don't know! Maybe? Probably..."And oddly enough, Pacifica didn't seem too bothered by this.She felt guilty for not caring, but really, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if something bad were to happen to her parents. Pacifica had never been close with them. Hell, her mother and father weren't even close with _each other._ Her mother was a drunk, and her father was hardly around. They were difficult, if not impossible, to get to be friendly with. Various nannies over the years had raised her, not them. At best, her parents felt like distant cousins."C'mon!" Mabel clutched Pacifica's hand and broke off in a sprint, dragging the blonde with her. Dipper followed, his sneakers thudding on the pavement.When they flung the main doors open, it took Pacifica's eyes a moment to adjust to the bright light. She whipped her head around, assessing the damage. Bill wasn't in the room. However, her parents were."Pacifica!" Mrs. Northwest exclaimed when she saw her daughter. The older woman rushed towards the teenagers, and Pacifica thought for just a moment that maybe, just maybe her mother would give her a hug and show that she generally cared about the girl's safety and well being. However, Pacifica quickly realized that she was dead wrong."You told that- that _thing_ that it could have all of our fortune?" Preston Northwest shouted, hands balled into fists. Pacifica took a step backwards, stumbling into Dipper. He set his hand on her shoulder to steady her, frowning. God, he had almost forgotten how much he hated the Northwest family."Yeah, I-I did," Pacifica squeaked. "But it was to get him to go away, and it's only just the-""That doesn't matter!" Preston furrowed his brow. "You've completely fucked us over! He's going to take it all, and it's your fault, Pacifica! You're once again, running this family into the ground!" He shoved his wife out of the way and tugged Pacifica away from the Pines twins. Mr. Northwest gripped her shoulder, scowling."Hey!" Mabel clamped her hands down on his arm, trying to pry the man away from her girlfriend. Preston's eyes widened, perhaps in surprise. He definitely wasn't used to anyone trying to stick up for themselves around him. "Leave her alone!"Preston didn't budge until Mabel kicked him as hard as she could in his shin. He raised his hand, forgetting about his own child, and it seemed as if he was about to strike the brunette. Dipper jumped between them at the last moment, and clutched his cheek after the older man's hand hit it."Dad, stop!" Pacifica cried. Mabel, furious with the two adults in front of her, pulled Dipper to the side."I'm alright," he groaned, before turning back to glare at Preston."You've dragged two bums into our home, after giving away all of our money to some beast that I couldn't control! He threatened to burn down the house!" Preston yelled. "You've been so misbehaved as of late, your mother and I don't know what to do!"Pacifica hung her head, her blond hair falling in her face. She stared at her shoes. Her anger twisted into shame.However, Mabel was twice as pissed now, and stormed towards Mr. and Mrs. Northwest. "Has it occurred to you that Pacifica is maybe a little tired of your bullshit?" She snapped. "And that's why she's-" Mabel made quotes with her fingers before continuing. "'Misbehaving'? Paz doesn't need to listen to you two anymore! She's got me and Dipper!" She reached for her brother's hand, and then fumbled for Pacifica's. "We're a family, whether you like it or not!" Mabel dropped their hands and stepped closer to the man.

 

Pacifica's father suddenly jumped back when he noticed Mabel's hands were glowing with hot flames, and they were coming awfully close to his fine suit. "W-what is that?" Preston stammered in fear.

"I'm  _angry,_ stupid!" Mabel growled. "You treat my best friend like dirt! You're disgusting, Mr. Northwest!"

Preston's jaw dropped, but just as he was about to speak, there was a loud laugh coming from the doorway."Now, Shooting Star, you should be kind to your future mother and father-in law!" Bill chuckled. The three teenagers and Pacifica's parents all whipped their heads around to see the triangular figure hovering above them. Right away, Dipper could tell something had changed. For starters, Bill was bigger. Taller, wider. His creepy eye was extra large and sent a chill down Dipper's spine. He also seemed to glow brighter, and was almost blinding to look at. Dipper squinted up at him, frowning.Pacifica pressed closer to Mabel, despite the flames. She looked away from the demon, the bright light hurting her eyes."Pacifica, what is he talking about?" Preston hissed. "Don't tell me you're dating that-""Okay, yeah, I'm totally mackin' on your daughter, Mr. Northwest, but that's honestly the least of your problems right now!" Mabel bit as she shook away the flames from her fingertips and wrapped her arms around Pacifica. She pulled the girl farther away from Bill.Bill tipped his hat towards the Northwests. "Thanks for the gold!" He chirped. "Really helped me feel better." His laugh made everyone else uneasy."The gold," Dipper whispered, surprised. "It must have made him stronger." He stood next to his sister, hands nervously clenched. Bill made some sort of awkward nodding motion."Right you are, Pine Tree! Maybe you do use that brain of yours sometimes." A cane appeared in his hands, and like before -like always-, he whacked Dipper's skull with it. "I'll be out of your way, though. Now that I'm at my best, that universal transport will be complete by morning!" The demon glimpsed out the large windows on the far wall. "I suppose this is goodbye. Unless, of course, you're still trying with all of this 'stopping me' business," he snorted.No one spoke at that."Pine Tree, Shooting Star. It's been.nice knowing you," Bill spoke, letting his cane disappear. "And by nice, I mean, for the most part, completely terrible." He furrowed his brow before losing the serious look and laughing. "Anywho, I've got to get going on that transporting-dimensions plan.  Bye!"And then he was gone.Mr. and Mrs. Northwest scowled at their daughter. "Pacifica Elise Northwest, you can pack your things and get the hell out of our ho- You get back here!"Pacifica didn't listen to him, though. She was already halfway out the manor doors, running as fast as she could.


	34. Chapter 34

 

"Pacifica, wait!" Mabel called from the top of the long staircase in front of Northwest manor. She rushed down them, nearly slipping a few times. Dipper followed his sister.

When Pacifica slowed down and Mabel caught up with her, they were at the edge of the driveway, near the destroyed gate. "Paz," Mabel whispered as she stepped closer. "Talk to me."Pacifica shrugged and hung her head. She didn't say anything, and instead, hugged her arms to her chest. The blond sniffled as the Pines twins exchanged worried glances."My parents hate me," Pacifica croaked. She held up a hand to block either twin from seeing her. If she started crying, her makeup would run, and it wouldn't be pretty. "They always have." Carefully, she brushed away a tear."I'm sure that's not-""It is! They don't care about  _me,_ Paz... They care about Pacifica." She sucked in a wobbly breath, trying hard not to cry. "God, sorry, that's such a cheesy thing to say. I shouldn't e-even be talking about this, r-really. Mom always said I overr-react." Pacifica didn't look up at Mabel and Dipper. She kept her head down.

Mabel inched closer to the blond. "Pacifica, you never really talk about this stuff. Really, it's okay to!" She insisted. 

 

"It's whatever, I-I guess," Pacifica sniffled. "They're just really awful. I-I'm sorry you guys had to s-see that." She lifted her head, hoping it was too dark for the twins to notice that her mascara was smudged around her eyes. "And I'm sorry my dad hit you," Pacifica apologized, turning towards Dipper.

 

"It's alright, Pacifica," Dipper told her.

 

"Paz," Mabel started. "This is going to sound totally cliche, like some sitcom for kids or somethin', but really! We're not upset. You're not your parents," she murmured to her girlfriend. "You're hardly even a Northwest at this point. You're like a Pines or something! Pacifica Pines!" Mabel exclaimed, cupping Pacifica's cheeks in her hands. "Please don't beat yourself up over your parents' actions."

 

And then Pacifica was crying into Mabel's shoulder.

 

"It's going to take a long time to get better," Mabel whispered. "If you even get better. And that's okay." She closed her eyes. "We'll be here for you."

 

Dipper stood to the side, unsure of whether he should join in on the hug the two were sharing, share some comforting advice, or stay put. However, Mabel and Pacifica extended their arms at the same time, pulling him closer to them.

 

After a moment, Pacifica lifted her head, and wiped away some snot with her sleeve. "S-sorry, I got stuff all over your jacket," she mumbled to Mabel, laughing a little. "I'll get you a new one."

 

"Don't worry about it," Mabel giggled, playfully punching her arm.

 

"I hate to, uh, interrupt, but there's a demon on the loose, and he's going to send us all to another dimension in a few hours," Dipper spoke up. He shot the girls sorry looks and took a step back.

 

"We still have no idea where Ford and Stan are," Mabel muttered, playing with a strand of her hair as she thought. "And if we can't find them, then we're on our own." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Plus Rosie left, so now we don't even have a ride!" 

 

Pacifica glimpsed over her shoulder. "Do you guys know what time it is?" She asked, sniffling again. Dipper fished his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, a dim glow brightening up the dark area. He held it up to her and showed that it was just after 2 AM.

 

Mabel frowned. "And sunrise is at 5," she stated. "We have three hours left." Pacifica made a worried grunt at that, but didn't say anything else. "What the hell are we supposed to do?"

 

"Prepare for the worst and pray," Dipper muttered. When Pacifica and Mabel both shot him annoyed looks, he held his hands up. "I was joking!" He spat, before adding, "Sheesh. Sorry. I'm under a l-lot of pressure, okay?" He ran his hand through his curls and bit his lip.

 

The three stayed quiet for a moment. "I don't think there's anything we can, y'know... Really do," Pacifica whispered. "I think we're just going to have to accept things and cross over to some other dimension," she said, flashing the twins a sad smile. "I mean, wherever it is, it can't be that bad."  Pacifica set her hand on Mabel's shoulder.

 

"Paz, I hate to break it to you, but if it's some other dimension, one that Bill Cipher himself is sending us to, it's not going to be a five-star hotel," Dipper grumbled.

 

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Look, at least I'm trying to stay optimistic about things!"

 

"You're giving up! That's not staying optimistic!" Dipper snapped back.

 

"At least I'm not moping about how we're all going to die! You're really bumming me out!"

 

"Sorry Pacifica, but that's because the fact that we're all going to be dying in the next three hours is kind of a bummer!"

 

"Guys!" Mabel shouted. She looked between the two. "Cut it out!" Her brother and girlfriend both went quiet, staring at the ground and looking ashamed. "Bickering isn't going to help anything," she scolded, hands placed on her hips like an upset mother talking to her children. Dipper and Pacifica both nodded sheepishly.

 

"Sorry," Dipper mumbled.

 

"Same."

 

Mabel sighed. "Much better. Anyways-" She paused when a bright pair of headlights could be seen down the road. The vehicle was approaching Northwest Manor rather quickly, and she squinted as she tried to figure out who was driving. Dipper had to tug her out of the way when the driver sped up the path.

 

"We're too late!" Ford Pines suddenly grouched as he scrambled out of the front seat of his brother's El Diablo. He adjusted his glasses while peering up at the mansion.

 

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel chirped, a flood of relief washing over her. She rushed forward towards the man as Stan flung his door open and climbed out of the old car. Dipper and Pacifica joined Mabel and the older twins.

 

"Kids! What are you doing out here?" Ford's eyes widened. "We told you to stay at the Shack-"

 

"Bill!" Pacifica spit out. The Pines went quiet, waiting for the girl to continue. "H-he showed up at the Shack, and I kind of panicked, s-so I told him I-I would make a deal," she stammered. "Anything on S-Shack grounds can't be harmed by him, but... I gave h-him all of my family's gold, and now he's stronger." Pacifica swallowed nervously.

 

Ford groaned at that, and Stan sighed. "So you kids just, what, thought it would be a good idea to leave the only place in town that's safe from him?" The author grumbled, clearly frustrated with the teenagers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 

"We were looking for you!" Mabel exclaimed. "Bill's going to do some sort of shitty thing and send the whole town to another dimension in a few hours and we're all gonna di-"

"What!?" Ford's eyes widened, and he balled his hands into fists. "Fucking bastard-"

 

"Look, that's why we need you! You probably know how to stop him, right?" Dipper interrupted. 

 

Ford sighed, and he looked away. "I do know, but it's not really... It's a bad idea. We're not doing it." The old man shook his head. "We'll find another way, because there's no way in hell I'm losing someone," he muttered.

 

"Losing someone?" Mabel squeaked. The idea of losing someone or anything made her uncomfortable.

 

Her great uncle set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head again. "Don't worry about it. It's not going to happen." Ford turned back to the car. "Get in. We're going back home," he ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is going on hiatus! Between school and other projects, I haven't had the time or motivation to work on it as of late. I will, however, occasionally post oneshots on this account if anyone is interested.


	35. Chapter 35

For the third time that night, the teenagers smushed together in the backseat of Stan's car, fairly quiet as they sped down the winding roads. Ford gripped the wheel tight, staring straight ahead. Anger? Fear? Mabel frowned as she tried to read her great uncle's expression.

 

She sighed and moved her head onto Pacifica's shoulder. Mabel closed her eyes as her hand found its way to her girlfriend's knee, and she realized how tired she actually was. She wouldn't even be able to sleep for a few more hours. An unexpected wave of worry washed over her, and Mabel swallowed nervously. What if she never got to sleep again?

 

Mabel shook away the annoying thoughts and kept her eyes closed.  _Grunkle Ford is going to find a way to get rid of that damn triangle. Once and for all._

 

Pacifica rested her head on top of Mabel's and stared straight ahead. The drive was too quiet, and she didn't like it. She wished that someone would speak up, break the silence, make everything feel somewhat lighter. Of course, the Pines family didn't make a peep. Pushing down any remaining anxiety, Pacifica leaned back in her seat.

 

Dipper shifted uncomfortably, his mind racing. He folded his hands in his lap and tried to distract himself.  _Be more like Mabel, stay positive._ He bit his lip.  _There's nothing positive about our situation._

 

Once the Mystery Shack was in view, Ford unbuckled. After parking, -or rather, slamming on the brakes just before the car slammed into the front porch- the Pines family and Pacifica rushed into the building.

 

"Kids, attic. I mean it this time. No fucking around," Ford grumbled. "Stanley, follow me." The old man's heavy boots were loud against the gift shop's floor. Stan smiled slightly, somewhat happy that his brother was including him in such important work.

 

Mabel lead her friends up to the attic without speaking. She ran her hands along the railing, feeling the little bumps in the old wood. With a sigh, she glimpsed back at Dipper and Pacifica, who flashed her reassuring smiles. Upstairs, the attic was dark and chilly. The broken window had let in a draft.

 

In Dipper's bedroom, Mabel collapsed onto the bed, face down. Pacifica eased herself into a desk chair as Dipper yanked on the chord of a lamp. He sat beside his sister and cleared his throat.

 

"So, uh... What, we just wait things out?" Dipper mumbled. "Sit around, knowing we might die in a few hours?"

 

Pacifica rolled her eyes as she stood up. "We've kinda been over this. There's nothing we can do right now. I'm going to sleep. Wake me up if Ford finds anything," she grunted before gesturing for Dipper to scoot over. He did, and she lied down on the mattress next to Mabel.

 

Dipper made an annoyed noise and moved to a spot on the floor near his bookshelf. He leaned against the wall, pulling his knees close. Pacifica reached over and shut the lamp off, leaving him in the dark.

 

Five minutes passed. He sat, thinking, waiting. He could see the glowing red numbers coming from his alarm clock on the other side of the room. There wasn't much time left.

 

Ten minutes passed, and he was getting bored. Dipper tried to sleep, but he was too stressed, and Mabel kept mumbling as she snoozed. He lied down on his back, using a pile of dirty laundry as a pillow.

 

Half an hour later, Dipper was asleep next to the shelf, stretched out on his bedroom floor.

 

An hour later, he awoke to the sounds of his uncles yelling, and Mabel crying softly into his pillows. Dipper rubbed his eyes as he sat up, trying to shake away his grogginess. In the dark, he could just barely make out the shape of Pacifica hugging Mabel.

 

"What happened?" Dipper whispered, crawling closer to the bed. Mabel sniffled as ran her fingers through the girl's curly hair.

 

"G-Grunkle Stan-" Mabel started, before hiccupping. "He's go-going to-" She shook her head. Pacifica pulled Mabel closer to her, her hands still pressed against the back of the girl's head.

 

"When Bill... Y'know." Pacifica inhaled. "It's going to open a big opening in the sky." She worked a knot out of her girlfriend's hair, trying to be gentle. "And t-the only way to close it and keep Bill away i-is to for someone to go inside, a-and recite some kind of spell. It'll close up, w-with the person and Bill inside." The girl buried her face in Mabel's soft locks.

 

Dipper glimpsed back over at the door. "Don't tell me-"

 

"Stan offered to go."

 

He blanched, and shook his head. "He's not doing that!" Dipper shakily rose to his feet. "No one is!" Balling his sweaty hands around the ends of his flannel and looking back at the door, he scowled.

 

"Keep it down!" Pacifica shushed him. "I don't want them to know w-we can hear them," she murmured. Mabel lifted her head and rubbed her eyes, long strands of hair clinging to her wet cheeks.

 

Dipper rolled his eyes. "I do! Someone needs to get it into Stan's head that he's not going anywhere!" 

 

"You're not going anywhere!" The three heard Ford shout downstairs. Sighing, Dipper grabbed the door handle.

 

"Dipper!" Pacifica hissed.

 

He ignored her and pushed his way out of the attic, leaving Mabel and Pacifica in the dark. Dipper gripped the railing tight as he headed down the steps. Maybe he could help talk some sense into his uncle.

 

However, as soon as Dipper reached the bottom of the staircase, Stan was gone. Ford clenched and unclenched his fists, a look of annoyance spread across his face. He didn't seem to notice his nephew on the other side of the room.

 

"Goddamn idiot, killing himself-"

 

"Uncle Ford." Dipper cleared his throat as the man looked over at him. "Where did Grunkle Stan go?" He tilted his head towards the door.

 

"He's about to commit total suicide if we don't stop him," Ford grumbled as he stormed into the gift shop, Dipper following close behind.

 

On the checkout counter, several old books had been spread out, opened, and bookmarked. Dipper noticed a page had been ripped out of one as he stood next to his uncle. Ford grabbed a briefcase and shoved it into Dipper's arms.

 

"Put this in the car, and then go wake up your sister and her friend," he ordered. "I'll be right back." Ford slammed his way over to the staircase leading to the lower levels of the Shack.

 

Dipper sucked in a deep breath once he was in the cool, early morning air. He made long, quick strides over to the El Diablo, knowing he was supposed to be in a hurry. "What's even in this thing?" He muttered as he tugged in the unlocked car door and slid the trunk into the back seat. As he turned back towards the house, Mabel and Pacifica poked their heads out the door.

 

"Where's Ford?" Pacifica called out.

 

"And Grunkle Stan?" Mabel added. She had calmed down a bit, but her blotchy cheeks and eyes were evidence from her breakdown earlier.

 

"Ford's downstairs, Stan went to... Uh..." Dipper made a face as he tried to think.

 

"Yeah," Pacifica muttered, rolling her eyes when Dipper passed by.

 

Once the four had met back up in the living room, Ford led the way towards the front door. "I'm assuming Stanley's headed to the cliffs. It's the highest point in town, meaning it's the closest he'll be able to get to that opening. When we get there, I'm going to need you kids to help me take that paper back and get him back to the car."

 

Mabel stifled a groan. Nothing good ever happened at the cliffs.

 

Every moment of the drive felt long and awkward. No one spoke. 

 

Pacifica stared out at the thick trees crowding around the sides of the roads. She sucked in a nervous breath and held for a moment before letting it out slowly. Her hand was gripping Mabel's so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Would this be her last time going down this road? Sitting in this car with Mabel and Dipper? She recalled the first time- just after she and Mabel had a contest after dark at the minigolf course. They'd shared tacos in the same seats, a gentle start to a long friendship.

 

But soon, they wouldn't be around to remember this. Backseat tacos, pulling all-nighters at sleepovers, sneaking up to the Mystery Shack roof, video chats all afternoon, occasional texts and snapchats and Facebook comments. There would be no one around to tell of these memories, no one around to even remember. History that was lost. Forgotten. Faded. No other being in the universe would ever be able to know about her life.

 

Her vision blurred, but she would not cry. No. Pacifica Elise Northwest- Pacifica Elise  _Pines_  would  _not_ cry. Not again. Instead, she focused her anxiety, sadness, and dread into rage. Bill would pay for this. She would be sure of it.

* * *

In the clearing on top of the cliffs, Stanley Pines stood, alone, waiting. In his hands was a wadded up paper, and on it was a spell in his brother's smooth cursive.  _What is this, Latin?_ Stan thought as he glimpsed down at the sheet. Would he even be able to pronounce it properly?

 

He tilted his head up towards the early morning sky. There wasn't an opening yet, and he was starting to get impatient.

 

"Come on," he growled. "Open it up!" Stan shouted.

 

There was only the rustling of leaves in the trees. It felt as if the bastard was mocking him.

 

"Bring it on!" Stan cried out.

 

The old man could see the sun rising on the horizon. The oranges and pinks meeting with the darker blues and purples, the scenery was familiar to him after living in the same place all of these years. However, this one sunrise was different. It would be his last. Stan removed his fez and ruffled his grey hair, feeling how it was damp with sweat.

 

_Am I seriously doing this?_

 

He closed his eyes.

 

_I'm seriously doing this._

 

Self-sacrifice to an all-powerful demon was a hell of a way to go. Of course, that was, if he died. There was the possibility of him surviving in whatever dimension he could would wind up in. But his old life, everything he loved? It would be as good as dead. Also, knowing Bill, this new dimension would likely be extremely dangerous. He probably wouldn't last long.

 

In a weird way, it was just like when he had to take on the identity of Stanford Filbrick Pines almost 36 years ago.

 

Saying goodbye... Stanley knew that was hard. He hadn't even said it to Dipper and Mabel, and whatever he'd said to Ford on his way out the door hardly counted. He let out a heavy sigh and hung his head. The kids and his brother would likely never forgive him for this.

 

At least now he'd finally be doing something important.

 

All of his life, he'd been a fuck-up. Bad grades, kicked out of his own home when he was just a teenager. Always on the run from people he hated, his life had been rough up until recently, and now he was going to just throw it all away. However, he'd be saving his loved ones, his hometown- it was worth it.

 

"Come on, Bill," he muttered. "Just kill me already. Let's get this all over with..."

 

What was taking him so long?

 

He turned his head when he heard the sounds of tires on the gravel, and saw his El Diablo rolling closer to him. Stan scowled. _No!_

 

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel yelped as she stumbled out of the vehicle.  
"Stanley, are you crazy!?" Ford demanded, slamming his door shut.

 

"Get out of here-" Stan shook his head. Any second now, the interdimensional tear would open, and he didn't want his family there to witness what he was about to do. "Please. Go back to the Shack!"

 

Instead, Mabel threw her arms around her great uncle. "You're not going to close the hole," she sniffled. "We won't let you!" The smaller girl tried to drag the man away from the edge of the cliff, but he was taller, heavier. He didn't budge.

 

"Mabel, pumpkin-"

 

There was a loud, low rumbling that shook the ground. Stanley staggered back, almost falling over the precipice. He gripped onto Mabel's arm and guided her back to the car and the rest of his family. Together, the Pines watched as a flash struck across the sky, temporarily blinding them. In the air, a small gap started to open, and a sound similar to that of fabric ripping was heard.

 

"Damn," Pacifica squeaked.

 

"It's time this dimension learns how to party!" A loud voice boomed up above, causing them to all go silent.

 

 


	36. Chapter 36

The wind picked up, and the Pines held onto each other to keep themselves from blowing towards the demon and the opening in the air.

"Pacifica, hold onto Mabel for me, okay?" Stan grunted to the blond haired teenager beside him, who wrapped one arm around a thick tree branch, and the other around her girlfriend's waist. Mabel and Dipper linked arms, and Ford kept onto his brother and nephew."We're going to get back into that car and haul ass to the Shack," Ford barked, hoping his family would hear him over the sounds of panic coming from the city below."No," Stan interjected. "We're not." He pulled away from Ford, stepping away from the chain of people."Stanley!"The man had severely underestimated how strong the winds were, and was almost immediately swept towards the tear in the sky. Eyes wide, Stan reached out for a tree branch, just barely managing to hang on. He clutched the paper tight to his chest and glimpsed down at three teenagers and an old geezer."Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried, extending her arms out towards her great uncle. If only she'd brought her grappling hook. Then she'd be able to save him. However, it was too far, sitting in her bedroom back at the Shack."Mabel," Dipper whispered. "I'm sorry."

  
"Why are you-"

  
He locked eyes with her, and her eyes widened.

  
"No. No!"

Dipper shot Pacifica a look, and she opened her mouth to protest, but instead, nodded solemnly.Paz watched one of her closest friends suddenly let go of his twin sister and rush towards the tree Stan hung onto.She pulled Mabel closer, her nails digging into the soft fabric of the girl's hoodie."Kid, get down!" Stan growled as he saw Dipper awkwardly attempt to climb up the pine."Give me the paper!" Dipper shouted back, hands shooting up towards the scrap from one of Ford's notebooks."Dipper, just let me do this!" Stan crammed the sheet inside of his jacket, now only hanging on with one hand.   
"Stan, I'll go for you-""I've gotta do something good for once in my life," Stan croaked, his voice barely heard."Something important?" Dipper couldn't help but scoff. "Stan, you worked for all of those years to save Ford, you started a business, you helped raised Mabel and me! Is that not important enough to you?" Out of the corner of his eye, Dipper could see smaller items drifting up towards the hole. Mailboxes, bikes, and outdoor furniture started their ascent towards the demon and his creation.Stan swallowed. "But I'm not smart, or heroic, or brave or talented-""Smart? You taught yourself about the portal and searched for the journals! You beat up tons of monsters over the years to save your niece and nephew! Grunkle Stan, you're one of the best people I've ever known!" Dipper argued.Cautiously, Stan removed his fez. He passed it to the scrawny teenager. "That's real sweet, Dip." He cleared his throat, and Dipper could see tears in his eyes. "Take care of Mabel and ol' Sixer for me, will you?" He forced a smile. "And Pacifica, too.""Grunkle Stan, wait!" Dipper yelped, the old fez tucked under his arm.Stanley Pines drifted farther away from the cliffs, trying his best to ignore his family's cries. He fumbled for the paper, which was surprisingly difficult when he was being pulled closer to the opening. Up close, he could see a beautiful swirl of colors, but could also notice a foul odor and the groans, growls, and howls of unknown creatures. A pit of dread formed in his stomach, but he knew it was too late. He'd made his choice- the one to die a hero.

* * *

Mabel kept her head tilted up towards the early morning sun, eyes squeezed shut. She didn't look at Stan. She didn't want to see him cross over to another dimension, she didn't want to see the opening close up with him inside. She didn't want to see him go.Pacifica wrapped both arms around Mabel, pulling her in for a close hug. The brunette buried her face in Paz's chest, sniffling.

* * *

Behind Stan was his family, his hometown, everything he'd known for the past thirty years. In front of Stan was a space nearly empty. The ground underneath him was firm, hard. The sky above him was constantly changing colors, shifting from reds to yellows to greens to blues. Vending machines, trash cans, and even an SUV had already been sucked into the tear. He had to hurry before Bill got his hands on more things from town."What do you think you're doing?" Bill Cipher planted his hands on his sides and narrowed his eye at Stan. "Self sacrifice isn't going to do you much good, Mackerel."Stan ignored the triangle and stared down at the paper. Slowly, he began to utter out the words on the paper, unsure if he was even pronouncing them right. He'd picked up a bit of Spanish from some friends in the past, and he knew English well enough, but this? Whatever this was in was completely foreign to him.

 

"Mackerel!"

 

He glanced over at his surroundings and took a shaky step back. Creeping out of the shadows were three large beasts, ones that vaguely resembled wolves. They had three glowing, yellow eyes that were narrowed and staring at Stan. He had to hurry. 

 

The old man babbled, the confidence in his voice slipping. The creatures growled, slowly moving towards him. Stan swallowed nervously and backed away, trying to focus on the task at hand.

 

"Mackerel, stop!"

 

Stan didn't listen. He kept reading until one of the beasts suddenly barked and lunged forward, catching him off guard. The two fell to the ground, and the monster pinned him down. A black, inky substance dripped from its mouth. Stan shoved it away and wiped the creature's drool off of his cheek.

 

Bill snapped his fingers, and ten more of the beasts formed, all snarling and snapping at Stan. He jumped to his feet, eyes wide, and pressed close to a pile of miscellaneous junk that the demon had picked up from town.  _Only one more line,_  he thought, as the hounds circled him.

 

"Enough!" Bill howled.

 

As the last words escaped Stan's lips, two of Bill's hounds pulled him back to the ground, biting and tearing into his suit. He cried out in pain and lifted his head in time to see the tear shrink up.  _It's closing._  


 

  
**"Cvnx ysbs lsl vubr?"**  The demons snapped, looking down at his hands. No matter how hard he tried, no flames appeared, no changes were made. **"Ech wff ut n-"** Bill looked up as his creation closed up around him. The inky beasts were no longer tearing into Stanley's still body. Instead, they melted back into the shadows. 

 

Bill simply faded. Without his powers, he was nothing.

 


	37. Chapter 37

Beeping.

 

Mabel grunted and lifted her head off of her soft pillows for a moment, before flopping it back down. She felt Pacifica shift in the sheets beside her, put didn't move.

 

"Mabes," Pacifica mumbled.

 

Another grunt from Mabel.

 

"Weren't you super excited about today?" Pacifica gave her girlfriend a shove at that.

 

A pause.

 

"Maybe," Mabel replied,  peeking an eye open. She sat up and dismissed the alarm buzzing from her phone before reaching over to kiss Paz's cheek. "I'm just tired."

 

Pacifica sighed. "Same here," she murmured. They both knew well that Mabel hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She'd been tossing and turning with the same nightmares that had been plaguing her for the past year. Visions of her great uncle Stanley, Bill Cipher, and other horrible images she'd rather not think about.

 

"But today's going to be, like, super awesome," Mabel chirped. "A good start to a good summer."

 

Pacifica glimpsed over at the calendar on the wall of their shared bedroom at the Mystery Shack. June 1st had been circled three times with a glittery pen, and it read in big, purple letters, "THE BIG DAY!!!!" It was a Saturday morning, and the first day that Mabel and Pacifica would start working with in the Shack.

 

After the events that had happened last August, former employee Soos and his girlfriend Melody had moved back to Oregon. With Ford's permission, they kept Stan's business going throughout the following months, posing as Mr. and Mrs. Mystery. Soos even wore the same fez that had once belonged to Stan.

 

Dipper was even going to drive up from California, planning to spend most of his summer in Gravity Falls. Pacifica and Mabel had flown out from New York the week before. It seemed that things were settling back together, shifting into some sort of normal for their family. When the tear in the sky closed, Mabel and Dipper lost their newer abilities. Anything relating to Bill was no more.

* * *

"Do I really have to wear this?" Ford huffed, running his hands over the fabric of the lab coat Mabel had made for him. "I didn't mind the helping out with the tourist business part, but a costume?"

 

"I like it," Soos nodded as he strung his fake eye patch around his head.

 

Ford turned around, revealing the sequinned question mark and puff paint spelling out "DR. CONUNDRUM" on the back of the jacket.

 

"Uncle Forddddd," Mabel frowned. "Pleaaaaaaase?"

 

"Fine," he sighed, snapping the thick lab goggles that went with the get-up over his face. 

 

Dipper leaned over the checkout counter and noticed he was the only one not in costume. Soos and Melody wore matching blazers, fezzes, and eye patches. Ford was the evil Dr. Conundrum, a scientist with wild hair and apparently, a sequinned lab coat. Mabel and Pacifica were tour guides, wearing fitted official Mystery Shack t-shirts and suspenders attached to skirts. He was simply dressed in the same old clothes he wore every day. Boring, regular Dipper.

 

He felt a smidge out of place, until Mabel reached over and tugged a new pine tree cap over his curls and slapped a few buttons on his flannel that were shaped like question marks and magic 8-balls. Dipper flashed his twin a small smile, and she returned it. 

 

"Now c'mon, people, let's open for business!" Mabel cheered.

 

* * *

Crickets chirped beyond the thick trees as the Pines trailed up the dirt path that lead to the cliffs.

 

Mabel hadn't been up there since the incident that had happened last summer. She hadn't really wanted to return to the spot, knowing it would bring back so many bad memories. However, when she reached the familiar clearing, she couldn't help but smile.

 

"Mabel, would you help me with this firewood?" Ford called over to her. She spun around and rushed to her uncle's side to assist him. Soos and Melody had recommended a bonfire, and Dipper had suggested the spot.

 

"Right here?" She asked, stopping. Ford nodded, and she set down the logs in the dirt. Mabel brushed off her hands and skipped over to Pacifica, who was helping Dipper carry a few lawn chairs up the hill. Soos and Melody held grocery bags filled with hot dogs and marshmallows, following everyone else.

 

Pacifica flashed her girlfriend a warm smile as she started to set up the chairs. They formed a small, cozy circle around the firewood. 

 

Dipper had started the fire once they were all settled in. Soos had roasted some of the hot dogs and passed them around for everyone to eat. Mabel, with a mouth full of marshmallow and sausage, told a story that was originally supposed to be scary, but ended up being more goofy and lighthearted. Ford had started to talk about a creature similar to the one Mabel had described in her tale -turns out vampiricorns were a legit thing-, and said that he'd almost been bitten by one.

 

Pacifica found herself staring up at the night sky, wearing Mabel's hoodie and holding her hand. She felt warm and safe by the fire with her family. When her gaze flickered over to the moon, she was relieved to see that it was just the same old moon. There wasn't a demonic eye watching over the tiny town. Just the familiar crescent up above.

 

The blond glimpsed back at her family. Loud, cheery, and loving, the Pines were all great. Although they weren't all blood-related, they fit together perfectly. Pacifica had decided that these were the people she belonged with, and she preferred them over her old family any day.  _This,_  she thought,  _is home._  


 

Mabel leaned over and pressed a kiss onto Pacifica's lips, tasting the sweetness of the roasted marshmallows. In that moment, she was so content, so happy. She hadn't truly felt this way in such a long time, and it felt relieving to her. 

 

All was well in the little town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this fic!
> 
> This originally started out as a small AU I had in mind at the beginning of the summer, and was really just a way for me to practice writing and posting fanfic online. I'm not too proud of the result, but there's always room for improvement. I'll be posting more things soon, hopefully


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